


Attachment

by Cigamina



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Backstory, Developing Relationship, F/M, M/M, PTSD, Worldbuilding, first part of a whole arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2017-12-26 22:07:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 96,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cigamina/pseuds/Cigamina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Recently having been promoted to corporal, Erwin Smith accompanies his commander to Hermiha for a few days to take care of some business for the scouting Legion. There, in the middle of the night and in more than questionable circumstances, he meets an extraordinarily rude and exceptionally uncommon boy with dark hair and stormy eyes. His skills, aptitude and attitude seem wasted in the streets of Hermiha's slums – so Irvin wonders if they could be put to better, more purposeful use. || A story about Irvin's and Levi's past, present and future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys~  
> this is a very long story telling Erwin's and Levi's story from the very beginning (I chose year 835). It's really going to be VERY LONG (be warned~~) and most likely going to be split into several stories. It's my very own interpretation of the things that haven't been made clear by the author yet (I started writing this story before Acwnr was even a thing, so I'm not nesessarily following their canon backstory). If in the near future some things are going to be revealed I won't change my story's progress, if it fits in it's alright, if not I won't care. XD Also, I’m not quite sure about Irvin’s and Levi’s age so I picked ages that seemed appropriate to me. So much for writer’s liberties! 8D 
> 
> Warnings: foul language, relationships between men, violence 
> 
> Rating: will be M later
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters unfortunately aren’t mine, therefore no money-making~ XDDD 
> 
> Please forgive me for making so many mistakes, English is not my native language and I’m sure you will find plenty of mistakes in there! 
> 
> Songs I listened to while writing the story:  
> Avicii – Addicted to you  
> Christian Toth - Minimal Set 2013  
> Daniel Portman - Galvanized (Original Mix)  
> Ed Sheeran & Passenger - No Diggity vs. Thrift Shop (Kygo Remix)  
> Flying Steps – In da arena  
> Lindsey Sterling - Minimal Beat  
> Lindsey Sterling - Moon Trance  
> Linked Horizon - Guren no Yumiya  
> Music Instructor – Rock your body (Brainbug Remix)  
> Schiller – Schiller 
> 
> Enjoy reading! <3

~*~

„Would you like another cup of tea?"

He looked up and smiled at the young woman who had just asked him that question for the third time that evening. When he glanced over at the artfully crafted clock that was attached to the wall he learned that the evening had passed on quite a lot, it being past eleven already. He raised a hand to put the cup he had been using for the past few hours onto the plate he had eaten pastries from, making it easier for him to carry the used dishes to the kitchen in a few minutes.

"Thank you, Bethy, but I wouldn't want to draw upon your time too much. It's quite late already, you must be exhausted. I'm sorry to have kept you up for so long."

The blond woman laughed softly and returned his smile, shooing away his hands when he wanted to gather the plate to take them to the kitchen.

"Ahh no no, I'm wide awake, and don't bother, Erwin, I'll do that later! Don't worry, I love you being here and I enjoy every minute of your company. It's a much too rare occasion anyway…"

He looked at her affectionately and debated with himself for a few seconds but then decided that it might not hurt to stay a little longer. He enjoyed being here probably as much as she did, but he didn't want to exhaust her. But she was right, it wasn't that they got the chance to sit together and chat too often. Being a soldier came with some terms, and one was that they were to move about a lot, never staying in one place for long. If you were a part of the Scouting Legion, that is. Being part of the Stationary Guard or the Military Police even guaranteed a more stable lifestyle – the latter a rather secure one, on top. The Scouting Legion, however… they were on the move mostly, carrying out missions and planning them in advance, training. It was a rare occasion that they returned to anyone's home but it was his luck that they had business to attend here in Hermiha district, the part of the walled city Erwin had his origins in. Usually they were stationed around Karanese district, one of the outermost cities attached to wall Maria – because that's where they could head outside of the safety of the walls to meet their enemy.

Erwin smiled again when the young woman poured him another cup of her scented vanilla tea which was actually also one of his favourites. While he didn't get to have tea very often when he was at their headquarters or on the move even he enjoyed drinking it every time he could – and Elisabeth certainly knew about it. Although the latest events might have changed some things in his daily routine that he still had to get used to.

"Thank you, Bethy." He patted her hand after she had put a little bit of lemon into his tea, just the way he liked it, and took to holding her hand for a little while. The woman that was three years his younger beamed and squeezed his calloused hand, moved her head to the side a little.

"You're always welcome, Erwin." Also throwing a quick glance at the clock she looked at him curiously, her cerulean eyes shining ever so beautifully below her dark lashes. She really had inherited her mother's eyes – just as Erwin did.

"I'll hazard a guess that you don't have a precise hour to limit your returning anymore? I mean… as the corporal of the Scouting legion."

He smiled and nodded, using his free hand to put his spoon into his cup, mixing the lemon with the vanilla-tea.

"I daresay you're right. I have a few more liberties now – and tons of new obligations."

Not that he complained, not at all. It was an honor to have been chosen as the new corporal. Even though the occasion was not a happy one – their commander had died of a severe illness a few weeks ago, causing his former corporal to be made the new commander. And now-commander Dallis Zacklay had appointed Erwin his new corporal.

"I'm still a little astounded about it all."

He had genuinely been surprised even though he knew that Zacklay was quite fond of him. Erwin had been squad leader for a while now and he appeared to have done well so far, making him eligible for being made corporal.

Bethy made a lightly disapproving sound and then laughed, looking at him warmly.

"Don't be modest, Erwin. You've always been brilliant in the military… having been first in your trainee squad, squad leader shortly after that… they've certainly made the right choice."

He couldn't help but feel warmth spread in his chest upon hearing her words. Bethy had always been supportive to what he was doing, no matter what it was, as long as she knew that it was what Erwin wanted. And he could honestly say that yes, this was what he wanted. He did have the luxury of choosing whichever part of the military he wanted to join; and he hadn't hesitated. It had always been the Recon Corps – neither did he see any sense in hiding inside of wall Sina as part of the Military Police nor did he want to spend his life repairing the walls, patrolling them and upholding peace and quiet in the cities as a part of the Stationary Guard. No – he couldn't live a quiet life KNOWING what was outside of wall Maria. They ALL knew –the majority of the people just didn't WANT to think about it. Erwin did, had done so from the very first day he had learned that they were caged up in those cities, imprisoned by the gigantic walls protecting them. That there was a whole WORLD outside of the walls –they just couldn't access it. Because it was populated by monsters; gigantic monsters that had already driven mankind to the rim of extinction by devouring every one of them each time they came across human beings. The titans.

They were the reason why mankind had caged itself up by building huge walls that had protected them from the titans for the last century – and they were the reason why Erwin had chosen to be part of the Scouting Legion: because they fought the titans; they went outside wall Maria to learn about the titans, to find their weaknesses, to kill some of them. Erwin had decided long ago that being imprisoned forever wasn't an option for him. That his yearning for freedom and for the absolute safety of humanity was stronger than anything else; even if it was his own life that was at stake. He had joined the Recon Corps to give them whatever he had to offer for mankind's war against the titans; he had vowed to die for the cause of humanity.

Much to his father's chagrin he couldn't avoid thinking.

He shook off that last thought and bowed his head, smiling at his little sister.

"I certainly hope they won't be disenthraled. I'll do the best I can."

She smiled back and then sighed, a shade of sadness coloured her expression.

"I know you will, Erwin. And you will do great… it's just… you'll be even more unavailable for me in the future, that saddens me a little. And…" She trailed off and bit her lip lightly, looking away for a moment. Erwin knew what was going on inside of her head and it upset him a little, too. When Bethy searched his gaze he felt a sting to his heart when he saw the sorrow and the worry in her delicate features. It was only there for a moment before she managed to cover the emotions a little by a smile, even though he thought that her eyes were shining even more than usually. She slid from her armchair and knelt by his feet, pressing her face into his chest and hugged him.

"Just… be careful, Erwin. I don't want to see your name next to mother's in the graveyard for the next 70 years, you hear me…? Please…"

He closed his eyes and hugged her back, resting his head on top of hers. It hurt him to see this… because he knew that she was feeling this way because of him and he was eternally sorry for the pain and sorrow he caused her… but he had to. It was his purpose to fight titans, and nothing would stop him until he defeated them – or died fighting them.

He placed a kiss on top of her head and patted it lightly.

"I promise to be as careful as I can be. And I'll always send you letters to let you know that I'm well fed and taken care of."

That got him a little snort from the younger woman and she looked up at him, her cheerful expression mostly restored. "You'll OF COURSE do that. It's an order, Corporal Smith.", she said, tugging on the green brooch that was attached to his chest. He smiled and clicked the heels of his leather boots together, using one hand to salute.

"Yes, Ma'am."

She laughed and raised a hand to stroke his cheek, wanting to give him a smart retort he was sure, when they both heard the front door open and close. The siblings looked at each other and Bethy's gaze became a little worried once again before she got up and straightened her robe. Erwin got up from his armchair as well, but stayed at the table while Bethy rushed to the door of the living room where the two siblings had been chatting for the last few hours. She smiled back at him and then disappeared in the entrance room, he assumed to help their old man out of his coat

"Oh, Bethy, thank you. Do we have a – oh."

Erwin looked at his father who had just appeared in the doorframe of the living room, bowed his head a little as a greeting.

"Hello, father."

The older man looked at him, the initial confusion soon replaced by the neutral expression he always wore when meeting his son. Erwin's face probably looked the same, impassive as ever when he met his father.

The older man whose once brown hair had turned grey by now looked at him and the cleared his throat.

"I had no idea you were in town."

Erwin smiled just the slightest bit and relaxed a little. He didn't sound as hostile as he had remembered him talk the last time he had been home.

"It was rather spontaneous, father. The Recon Corps has a few things to attend to here in Hermiha and I thought to stop by for a little while. I'm sorry that I seem to have picked the day where you were unavailable."

His father looked at him for a moment before he moved over to sit on the couch, shaking his head a little.

"The Recon Corps… what business do they have to attend here? I don't see any titans around."

It had never been like his father to be warm and welcoming, but a little sign of that he felt at least the slightest bit happy that he paid them a visit would have been nice. The smile that had crept onto his face disappeared upon hearing those words and he inclined his head a little.

"And I'm very happy that you don't, father. It's my purpose to make it stay that way."

The older man's eyes fixed on him for a minute but then shifted to Bethy who had just joined them in the living room, handing her father a glass of water. He thanked her and then snorted in Erwin's direction, looking at him exasperatedly.

"There are no titans inside of the walls, Erwin, and it will stay that way for the time being. They simply can't break through, we're safe in here. Where is the sense in fighting them, making them angry and goad them to attack us in the end? Where is the sense in sacrificing lives, making people die for nothing? We're fine in here, we have everything we need. Son, it's time you quit playing soldier and come home as long as you still CAN."

Erwin looked at the other man, feeling the already so well-known fury tear through him, but none of that reflected on his features. His self-control was always tested when he met his father, but he had learned suppressing his emotions quite well. He had had leading positions in the military for quite some time now, soldiers looked up to him and respected every single one of his decisions, there was no room for exploding emotions. Whatever was going on in his head or his heart, people would only see what they needed to see; nothing more and nothing less.

He stood straight and put a hand onto his heart, the other behind his back, taking in the position that always reminded him of the day when he vowed to serve the cause of humanity until his death. He felt proud, he felt right, and there was no way his old man could say anything to change that.

"It's not a game, father. I'm glad the titans stay outside of the walls, but they're THERE. They're trying to climb up the walls as we speak, they're trying to break through it with all the force they have. They're a threat to mankind – and they keep us caged in here, keep us from going wherever we want to go. That can't be tolerated – I can't tolerate it. I see a sense in fighting them – in exploring them, learning about their weaknesses and habits and finally triumphing over them. I'll do everything I can to get nearer to that goal, and nothing will stop me."

His father looked at him, then snorting again and taking a sip of his water. Bethy looked at Erwin apologetically and moved over to put a hand on his arm.

"Pff. Quite the idealist… it won't get you anywhere – except into a titans slobbering mouth." His voice quivered a little when mouthing his words. "Come home, son. Nothing is waiting for you outside wall Maria, only…" He didn't finish his sentence and looked away, appearing 10 years older for the fracture of a moment before he straightened up. "Find yourself a pretty girl, marry and have kids."

His temper really was tested today, but he managed to suppress his anger. He was well aware of the fact that his father was suppressing so many emotions himself, but he wasn't about to let himself or the Recon Corps be insulted.

"No, father. My fate lies with the military. If I can serve mankind freeing itself then I'll gladly do it, even if it costs me my life." He heard his little sisters gasp and felt her hand clutch his arm, but he continued nonetheless. "At least I know what I'll die for and nobody can take that away from me. Maybe you'll never understand me but I'm a soldier and I'm proud of it." He took a deep breath and then lowered his hands, nodding at the door. "I'll be on my way, it's late and this is leading nowhere. Thanks for the tea and pastries, Bethy, it was really nice seeing you." He looked at his sister and gave her a peck on the cheek, before he moved to leave the room, nodding in the direction of the older man. "Father."

When he passed the doorframe he heard his father's voice again and it made him pause for a moment.

"You're no soldier to me, Erwin. You're my son… retire and don't cause an old man even more grief."

He closed his eyes for a moment, heard his sister say: "Father, don't…". He shook his head and took another deep breath, exited the room.

"I can't."

He took his cloak from the coatrack and left the house, taking a deep breath once he was outside. The cold air of late autumn felt good in his lungs and calmed him a little, he still felt his blood boil in his veins. It was always the same when he met his father. He just didn't understand why he couldn't leave him alone. Erwin understood that he wasn't exactly doing what his father had imagined for him. His father was a merchant and an honest man, he had worked hard for what he had and he was living a good life. He had done everything for his children having a promising future, he had paid a private teacher to give them as much education as he could – and had been livid when Erwin had decided to sign up for the military. 6 years had passed since then and still his father was angry with him for his choice of profession. Erwin was thankful for everything his father had done for him – but he was living his life the way he wanted to. And he only wished for his father to accept and respect that. He didn't need to feel happy about it, Erwin just wanted… him to be proud.

He fastened his warm black cloak that he had laid his green cape off for and started walking when he heard his sister's voice behind him.

"Erwin! Erwin, please wait…!"

He turned around to see Bethy rushing over to him and he stopped, taking her by her shoulders when she came to a hold in front of him, catching her breath.

"Bethy, it's cold and you have no jacket…!"

He moved to take off his cloak to put it onto her shoulders but she grabbed his hand and shook her head.

"It's fine, I'll go back in a minute." She took another deep breath and looked up at Erwin who was at least 6 inches taller than her. Her cerulean eyes looked sad and she held his hand, squeezing it lightly.

"Don't think bad of him, Erwin… he's afraid of losing you. He loves you, he's just too stubborn to show it…"

He smiled a little and returned the squeeze then moved forward to hug his sister with his free arm.

"I know. It's him I've got my stubbornness from after all… but I won't be insulted, not by my own father."

He heard her sigh when she pulled back, looking up at him again. She pushed a bag into his hands that she had brought along and stood on her toe tips to kiss him on the cheek.

"Take this, Erwin. It's your favourites and I still don't trust your military's food…" He couldn't help but smile when he accepted the food, smelling the freshly baked meat pies through the paper. He hugged his sister again and raised his free hand to stroke her cheek.

"Thank you, Bethy. I'm sure I'll enjoy them. And now rush back inside or you'll catch a cold. I'll try to come by again the day after tomorrow, is that convenient for you?"

She beamed at him and nodded, visibly happy at the perspective of seeing him again so soon.

"Of course, anytime it's convenient for you. Take care, Erwin!"

"You too, little sister."

She smiled and then ran back towards the house, waving at him before she entered. Erwin watched her all the way and just turned around when he knew that she was safely inside. She was a little angel and he was just so fond of her. When having met her he always realized how much he missed her when he wasn't home.

A little smile still tugging at his lips he started his way back to the place they were staying. It was one of the Military Police's emergency quarters that they were using for a few days, at the other side of the town. It was quite a distance to go there by foot but he had wanted to do so. He had spend the last few days on his horse's back when they came all the way here from Shinganshima, it felt good to walk around a little. And he had wanted his poor horse to rest a little as they were going to head back in a few days. The white stallion was young and full of strength but even he had showed signs of fatigue yesterday when he had brought him into its stable. So he had thought that he might enjoy a little peace and quiet just as Erwin enjoyed walking through the empty streets.

He still had to get used to the idea that he would have quite some time to himself from now on. As a squad leader he hadn't slept in the same room as all the other recruits but he had shared a room with another squad leader, had used the common shower rooms and had eaten with everybody else in the dining room. As a corporal… he did have an office where he could do his paperwork (and there was a LOT of that), he had his own bedroom and a bathroom attached. He could retreat into his own quarters in the evening, could even eat there alone if he wanted to. It all was a luxury that he had to get used to first; and yet he was already looking forward to it. It imposed a new challenge, a completely different kind of work, much more responsibility that was put onto his shoulders and he hadn't lied to his sister, he was really hoping that his superiors had made the right move with choosing him - but he was up to proving himself, he would do his best.

He had been walking for quite a while when he noticed that he was about to cross one of the most questionable parts of the town. Due to the fact that there lived a lot of people in the walled cities it was unavoidable that there were rich and poor people. There were not enough jobs for everybody and foot shortage had always been an issue ever since mankind had pulled back inside the walls… the Stationary Guard and the Military Police were supposed to do their best in keeping the whole population fed and healthy but such systems never worked out 100%. Not all people got their daily share of food, not all people were regularly checked up upon by a doctor – and that's how poverty and hunger developed into a problem. When food became the target of stealing something went very wrong – and many things went wrong these days. Erwin's head would start aching once he thought about all the things that should be changed – but he knew that not much could be done as long as they lived inside these walls. Once they were free new structures would be needed and that was when things could be thoroughly changed. As long as nothing drastic happened the rich would stay rich and poor people died of hunger. Their system was so full of corruption and injustice that it made his blood boil that his hands were bound in most of those matters. The only thing he could do was fight the titans – and believe in the vision he had about their world becoming much better once they were free.

He dove into the shadows of the narrow streets that would lead him through the worst part of the town. It was the shortest way to their garrison and Erwin didn't see the necessity to walk around it. He wasn't afraid of titans, why would he be afraid of human beings? He was on guard, yes, but he felt safe with the short blade he was carrying at his belt instead of the whole 3D-maneuver-gear. That would have been… a little much. And he needed an authorization when carrying it around in the town, so he had just left it at the garrison. It felt a little strange not to have it with him; he always had to remind himself that he was far away from titan infiltrated territory.

He had no idea where they came from all of a sudden, he hadn't heard a single sound before but when he rounded the next corner he walked right into the display of a fight. It was dark as the only light that was provided were the pale rays of the new moon that was mostly covered by clouds and Erwin couldn't make out much, but there were about five of them, completely coiled into each other. He heard several voices, angry hissing, hushed screaming, a senseless tumble of words. Erwin blinked and put aside the paperback he was carrying, feeling the need to do something but as long as he didn't know who was fighting whom here he couldn't interfere. He took another few seconds to watch, trying to make out what kinds of weapons they used and how many they were – when one of the fighters flew from the ball of people, with as much force as if he had been pushed very hard. It made him lie in the pale moonlight for the split of a second, enough for Erwin to catch a glimpse of him before he jumped back to his feet. It was a boy, barely tall enough to reach Erwin's shoulders and not even half of his own width. He had unkempt black hair and wore nothing but a few rags slung around his haggard body despite the cold, he didn't even have shoes on his feet. His body was all pent-up, tense up to the degree he could snap any second and he had a knife in his right hand, blood already shining of its blade. Erwin blinked when an enraged scream emerged from the boy's mouth and he plunged back at the other fighters, making it quite clear who was fighting whom.

"Give it back you BASTARDS!"

Agonized screams and a cascade of curses was the next Erwin heard and in an instant he went for his sword, pulling it out of its sheath. He had seen enough, he couldn't leave the boy in a 4 against 1 fight – even though the boy had been stupid enough to get back into the fight instead of running.

Erwin dove into the shadows of the narrow road the fight had moved to and tried to make out the small boy, already working out a plan to get him out of this safely – when he stopped right in his tracks. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw two of the other fighters lifeless on the ground, their blood darkening the stones they awkwardly lay on. The remaining three were fighting, the little boy in the middle, lashing out with his knife. He was hissing savagely when he went for one of the man's throat while he kicked the other in the shins, making the other cry out. He dodged the arms swung at him and kicked the knife out of one of the man's hands, tackled the now unarmed man that had completely lost his balance to the ground. He smashed his elbows onto his head and throat and turned just in time to slash the other man's stomach, making him topple to the ground. He jumped to his feet and kicked the slashed man's head before drilling his knife into the throat of the other man, making him gurgle – and then fall silent. Everything was silent except for a little moan that escaped one of the men before he died and the heavy panting of the boy who knelt on the ground. Erwin, still standing rooted to the spot, stared at the lean boy who hadn't taken notice of him at all. He was standing halfway hidden behind a huge stack of trash so he wasn't too visible for the boy.

The boy got to his feet and the moving clouds chose this moment to release the moon, making a few pale rays enlighten the narrow street. The black-haired boy stared at the men on the ground, his eyes glowering seethingly. There was so much fury in his gaze, so much panic and so much hate in them, making his eyes burn in the cold night. And right into Erwin's mind. He inhaled through his nose, he had never, never once seen someone fight like this. So intent on staying alive, on killing the men threatening him. On getting back what was his, Erwin assumed that the cause of the whole fight was a small package the was lying on the ground, having fallen into a puddle of water. The boy moved to pick it up and cursed, realizing that the bread the package contained was sponged with water. He growled furiously, kicked one of the dead men and cursed again, pressing one of his palms against his thigh. Erwin frowned and concluded that he might have been injured during the heated fight, just realizing it now that the adrenaline was slowly ceding to flood his body and making him feel the pain. The boy groaned and took a couple of steps before he collapsed against the wall, his legs refusing to carry him any longer. He cursed weakly but soon the cursing turned into soft gasps when he hunched, pressing his hands onto his wound.

Erwin was thinking for a few seconds about what he should do. He had just witnessed… a boy killing four men. When they had arrived at Hermiha district a couple of days ago the men of the Military Police that had showed them their quarters had been talking about a thug that was scaring Hermiha's underworld to no ends and that they were in the complete dark about who that person was. Nobody had really seen him, the people meeting him mostly turned up very dead or were unable to describe him. It was known that he went for food, he didn't steal money or jewelry. Erwin didn't want to draw his conclusion too hastily but he thought it was possible that this boy, as crazy as it sounded, was the person they were searching for. He hadn't killed for the first time, Erwin could tell, there hadn't been any remorse or doubt in his eyes. He knew what he was capable of and he was dangerous – but he was only a boy. A boy that was hungry, a victim of the corrupt system Erwin so dearly despised. A boy that had stolen and had his prey stolen from him again, as it seemed. He killed for survival – and that was exactly what Erwin was doing, too. The only difference, and that was what made the boy a criminal and Erwin a soldier, he was killing titans in the name of the government and of course he was aware that killing people for food wasn't right. But essentially… the boy yearned for exactly want what Erwin wanted, too: staying alive. And that was maybe one of the reasons why he didn't just walk over, put the boy into custody and presented him to the Military Police.

He took a deep breath, put his blade back into its sheath and started moving towards the boy, not even trying to be silent. The boy would notice him within seconds anyway, his senses had to be good if he had survived on the streets for so long.

Erwin was right, he had barely taken a couple of steps when the boy's head shot up and his whole body tensed, the knife appeared in his hand in a fracture of a second. He struggled to get up, trying to get to his feet as quickly as he could, but his legs just wouldn't carry him and he fell to the ground once more, gasping as he did so. His jaw was clenched and he stared at Erwin loathingly, the knife raised to lash out at him the moment he got within his range.

Erwin looked at him and raised his hands, showing the boy that he didn't have anything in his hands that he could harm him with.

"Relax, I mean you no harm. You look like you need a little help?"

~*~

Okay guys~ on to the next? 8DDDDD  
Hope you enjoyed reading this!  
<3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter~  
> I hope you'll enjoy reading!  
> <3

~*~

The other stared at him, his expression not changing one bit, and when Erwin took another step in his direction the boy lashed out, slashing his knife through the air before scrambling backwards a little, keeping the distance between them.

"Fuck off, I swear I'll kill you!"

He had no doubt about that, the boy would do whatever it took to make sure he got out of his mess alive. It didn't matter to him who he was, if he was a soldier or another thug or a nobleman, he didn't make a difference – in a very twisted way that was fairer than any other system Erwin had experienced so far.

Erwin cocked his head to the side and nodded in the direction of the four corpses that were strewn on the other side of the narrow street.

"Don't you think 4 are already enough? I wouldn't like to be slashed and left for bleeding out, anyway."

The boy seethed and growled low in his throat, his body tensed up even more. He looked ready to strike, all pent-up fury visible in his burning eyes – he just knew that he would tumble to Erwin's feet if he tried anything of that kind, and Erwin knew it, too. The boy would stay where he was and so would he.

"Fuck off, then, and leave me the hell alone!"

Erwin watched him calmly, his hands still raised in the air.

"I won't steal your bread, don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you."

The boy was watching him, running his eyes up and down Erwin's body but didn't seem to come to any conclusion. He silently congratulated himself that he had chosen to wear his long black cloak instead of the shorter green cape that had the Scouting Legion's emblem on its back and would have given him away in an instant, but as his black cloak covered him past his knees there was no telling that he was wearing his uniform. Not even the over-knee-boots that were so typical of the military and the leather straps around their thighs were to be seen. Erwin was sure that the boy would act differently if he had already recognized him as one of the military. He had to be aware of the fact that the men of the Military Police were searching for him and he would certainly be alarmed if he knew that Erwin was a solder even if the emblems attached to his jacket would tell him that he was part of the Scouting Legion, not the Military Police.

The boy was frowning, his thin black eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't make any sense of this, Erwin could conclude. He didn't understand what Erwin wanted and he couldn't be blamed, parts of Erwin didn't understand what he was doing either. He acted on instinct, and it told him that he should stay. His instincts very rarely were wrong so he trusted them even though he had no idea where this would lead him.

"What do you want? If it's not me and not the fucking bread, what the hell do you want?!"

He sounded aggressive and frustrated, even the pain he had to be experiencing was colouring his voice a little. Erwin was still just looking at him, thinking it a good strategy to confuse the boy. He thought that he knew everything there was to know on the streets but Erwin would prove him wrong.

"As I said before, I think you might need some help. Like being patched up for example, I do have some experience with wounds."

Oh yes did he have. He had been wounded, his comrades had been wounded and all of them knew the basics to get yourself and others patched up so they neither bled to death nor had their wounds infected when they rode/were transported back to their head quarters. He always had a few things with him in the breast pocket of his jacket, just in case something unexpected happened – just like today. Even though he had never expected to use it on a small boy that had just killed 4 people right under his nose.

The boy stared at him, not lowering his knife one bit. His eyes were full of mistrust and anger; he didn't believe one word Erwin was saying. He hadn't expected him to, knowing he would have to do a lot better if he wanted to convince the boy of his pure objective.

"Patch me up, huh? Who're you, the fuckin' good Samaritan? You going to cut your cloak in two with the sword you're carrying, too? Don't fuck with me you damned prick, just piss off!"

Besides his rather foul mouth he had some other qualities, too, Erwin remarked. He had recognized the outlines of the blade attached to his belt even though the cloak made it almost impossible to see it and it was still rather dark in the alley, especially when the clouds covered the moon again. The boy was good – and he would have to try even harder.

He smiled at the boy and inclined his head a little, still not moving his hands. He didn't want to alarm the boy even more than he already did by just towering over him. Erwin had quite an appeareance, he was tall, broad and muscular and was bound to seem like a giant to the small boy who was still hunched on the ground.

"You have remarkably good eyes. How about we make a deal? I'll take it off, put it on the ground – and you put away your knife?"

He looked at Erwin, stunned for a moment, then he barked out a laugh, a hoarse one that sounded like he hadn't laughed for quite a while.

"Are you fucking crazy? You put away your blade, I keep my knife. Who knows what else you've got under that damn cloak? Don't dare come near me, I'll slice you in half you damn bastard!"

Erwin sighed and looked at the younger, understanding that he needed to give him a few very good reasons to make him lower his weapon. Of course, he supposed that the boy hadn't made many good experiences with people and certainly didn't trust easily. Which was what had probably kept him alive for so long, along with his fighting and observing skills. What he lacked in size and mass he certainly made up for with other qualities.

"If you're done swearing could you please put what nature equipped you with up there to use?" He tapped his own temple with a finger, making the other clearly understand what he was talking about. "Why would I want to trick you? I could have run for the Military Police 15 minutes ago if I wanted to have you captured. If I wanted to kill you, for whatever reason you want to accuse me with, I would just attack you and certainly I wouldn't offer to put away my blade." He watched him closely, trying to see if he was getting anywhere with his reasoning. "I don't want your soaked bread, I don't want your knife and I don't want to spill your blood, I don't want to capture you. I only want to have a look at your wound and see if I can help."

The other didn't say anything for a minute, just looked at him. His expression didn't change but Erwin was positive that he was thinking about his words, pondering them and turning them over in his head, trying to find a hole in his reasoning. He wouldn't find one as there wasn't one.

He made him wait another few seconds that Erwin endured patiently. Patience was something he had learned during his military-training and there were very few people who could make him snap. He was certain that a boy from the street wouldn't be one of those people.

He glowered at him, even showed his teeth a little when he growled low in his throat. Erwin found the term 'untamed spooked wild animal' more and more adequate to describe the boy.

He let out another frustrated growl and tensed up even more, ready to snap at any moment.

"Throw the damn blade away."

Erwin triumphed silently, it seemed that a little insulting and reasoning didn't hurt when dealing with unkempt, aggressive kids of the street. It almost made him chuckle when he thought that he, the corporal, was being ordered about by a boy that looked like 12 years old. If the boy only knew…

Erwin complied and slid one hand into his cloak, causing the boy to inhale sharply and push himself away from Erwin another couple of feet just in case he would just go lashing out at him. But Erwin just calmly decollated the sword from his belt and held it up for the boy to see before throwing it to the side where it was out of his reach. He slipped his hand inside of his cloak again and reached into the pocket of his leather jacket, conjured a bandage and a few antiseptic compresses from it and held them up as well. The boys eyes had widened when he had reached into his cloak once again, but seeing that he actually had things he could patch him up with definitely surprised him. Erwin smiled a little and waited patiently, curious what the other would do now.

The grayish blue eyes watched him intently, brows still furrowed, he was still searching for any sign that Erwin had been lying about his intentions. But he came to the conclusion that Erwin didn't show him any – and he slowly, ever so slowly lowered his knife. Without looking away from him for even a split second he put the knife onto the ground, pushed it just a little away from him – where he could still grab for it if he felt the necessity to do so. But he let go of it, curled his hand into a fist next to its handle. His eyes were still staring at Erwin, mistrust and fury and pain still very visible, but it seemed that the pain seemed to take over little by little as the boy groaned und pressed his other hand onto his thigh.

"Are you a doctor or what…?"

Erwin smiled and bit back on the retort that yes, he used sharp metal to cut through meat to see what was underneath, and settled for not taking his chances.

"No, I'm afraid I'm not. I just happen to have some experience with wounds and how to treat them, that's all."

Revealing to the boy that he usually butchered titans or at least tried to was probably not the right move.

"May I come closer? I'm afraid of your wound infecting if it's not cleaned properly soon."

The black-haired boy glowered at him and his hand twitched for his knife but in the end Erwin earned a hesitant nod. He exhaled silently and smiled, relief washed through him. Even though he had not yet won, he seemed to be pretty close to it.

"As if it'd matter."did the boy mutter.

He took careful, even steps in his direction and finally crouched down in front of him where the boy could see him and everything he did with his hands. Erwin looked at him, took in the tense features of the boy. He really looked young, his features were even and below the dirt he had to be fairly handsome. His hair was dirty and unkempt and there was nothing but skin and muscles to his bones. Erwin assumed that he had been living on the streets for quite some time to make him look as haggard as he did. He finished by looking into his eyes, the blue eyes still glowering at him from beneath dark black lashes. There were dark circles underneath his eyes, giving him a little skeleton-like appearance. Erwin was certain that it was impossible to sleep long and peacefully somewhere underneath a bridge or in a narrow street, always living with the fear to get stabbed when slumbering.

"Show me your wound."

The blue eyes watched him and narrowed, but when Erwin didn't move and waited for him to decide on the pace they were taking things, he muttered something to himself and took his hand from the wound, pushing the dirty fabric of his rags away to enable Erwin to see the wound – and he inhaled sharply when he saw it. Vertically carved into the flesh of his left thigh there was a cut that seemed to be rather deep, the man inflicting it had used a lot of force. Fortunately Erwin couldn't see the bone and he was able to tell that the man had missed a very important artery by very little, but it was still a rather severe injury. He was a little surprised that the boy hadn't yet passed out from the pain and the blood-loss but he concluded that it must be the adrenaline flooding his body that kept him upright. What Erwin also noticed now that he was closer to the boy was the fact that he was shivering all over. That was something the adrenaline couldn't cover, the boy was freezing and having lost quite a lot of blood certainly wasn't helping to keep his body warm. Erwin was already raising his hands to unfasten his cloak because he wanted to drape it over the boy's shoulders - when it occurred to him that it might not be a good idea. He was wearing his full uniform underneath the cloak and he was certain that the boy wouldn't react favourable to that. But… at that rate he would freeze in front of Erwin's eyes. And he needed something to tightly wrap around the boy's thigh to make the wound stop bleeding so fiercely; the most suitable thing he could think of were the straps that were wrapped around his own thighs.

Erwin watched the boy and he was staring back, frowning at him.

"N-not what you're used to, eh? You g-going to be sick? I betcha haven't seen anything like this before."

Erwin only blinked. For a moment he couldn't follow the boy's train of thoughts because he was still pondering how he was supposed to solve the problem of the boy freezing to death without blowing up his cover, but the clashing of teeth when the boy spoke had him make up his mind. He smiled a little and put down the bandages and the compresses, aseptically wrapped up as they were he had no fear of them getting dirty.

"I've seen worse, don't worry." Parts of arms and legs bitten off by titans beat the deep cut even though it was a rather severe wound. Erwin couldn't help but smile when the boy actually looked a tad disappointed. "Given the fact that you're shivering miserably I'll live up to your expectations and pull off my coat to put it around you. I thought I'd inform you beforehand to escape being sliced up because you think I'm going to pull a trick on you." That earned him a snort from the boy and he was glad to hear it, telling him that the other started to let his guard down just a little bit. Knowing that his plan was risky and that he just had fractions of seconds to do what he had to, but he had to try. So he raised his hands and unfastened the latch of his cloak to pull it off his shoulders when he was ready.

"As you don't have your sword I get the whole cloak then, good Samaritan? That's too-" The rest of his sentence remained unspoken because a scream erupted from the boy's lips, telling Erwin that the boy had recognized him for what he was. His body jerked back violently and his face was contorted with rage, his hand went for his knife. Erwin only had fractions of seconds to let go of the coat, slam his left hand down onto the knife before the boy could reach it, plunge forward to pin down the boy's legs with his own weight and grab his throat to push him as effectively back against the wall as he could manage.

And he succeeded.

He felt the boy's hand scratch and rip at his own when he tried to get to his knife, his other hand was hitting and tearing at Erwin's outstretched arm to make him release him, his body was violently thrashing underneath Erwin's – but Erwin didn't let go, he remained in place and listened to the boy's screaming and cursing for a few moments. He wasn't trying to suffocate the boy, merely keeping him at arm's length to spare himself being bitten. The worst part of it were his eyes though, burning into Erwin's own with an expression of pure hatred and betrayel.

"You fuckin' bastard, I knew you're some filthy traitor! Let me go you sick fuck, I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you and LET ME THE HELL GO! YOU DAMNED SON OF A BITCH LET ME-"

"Would you JUST be quiet for a second?"

Erwin's steady voice cut through his cascade of insults and he underlined his words with a little movement of his thumb, just applying a little more pressure to the boy's trachea, not enough to really cause him problems breathing but making him gasp nonetheless. He steadily looked into the other's blue eyes, making it crystal clear that he meant his words just exactly as he mouthed them.

"Believe me, it wouldn't take much for me to strangle you right here and now, or snap your neck in two. As you might have realized I'm from the Scouting Legion, my opponents are usually about 6 times your height and taller and I still manage to get them to their knees somehow. Yes, I'm from the military that you are, let he make a hazard guess, not quite fond of, but I've got very little to do with the Military Police that has been chasing you for a while. What happens here is their business, my field of responsibility lies outside of wall Maria-" That was a lie, of course dealing with criminals when he caught one in the act WAS part of his duty, but the boy didn't have to know every little detail. "- and therefore I'd appreciate it if you just relaxed a little. I still mean you no harm and I'm still here to patch you up. I still want to put that cloak around you so you won't freeze to death right under my hands and I won't take you to the Guards or anywhere else. As I told you already, there's no need for me to be kind to you if I intended to hurt you. And don't look at me like that, I didn't lie to you or anything. I thought that showing my uniform to you right away might worry you a little too much, and I suppose I was right." Dark blue eyes were still trying to burn him to ashes but he didn't say anything, just breathed harshly through his nose. He seemed to be thinking about Erwin's words and he gave him time to do so, moving his thumb away from his trachea but not releasing him anywhere else. Erwin slightly shook his head and cocked his head to the side, never letting his guard down because he felt that the boy's body was still pent-up to the point of snapping. "I think I really liked being regarded as the good Samaritan better." He gave him some more time to think, to ponder his words and turning them over in his head, once again trying to search for possible catches. Erwin understood his fury and hate perfectly well and a part of him felt very sorry for his need to be a little forceful, and yet he didn't want to be slashed by his knife. He would get it into his thick head that he didn't want to hurt him, the boy would end up believing him if he liked it or not.

The boy seethed at him a little more even though he snorted when Erwin attempted at a little bit of humor which he took as a good sign, he didn't try to wrench himself away from him again. He had also stopped scratching and tearing at the hand he was still keeping pressed flat onto the knife, he was merely gripping his wrist tightly. Erwin looked at him inquiringly.

"Can I let go without having to fear you slicing me up? I just want to move back to give you some space, put that coat around you and then finally try to keep that wound from infecting. Oh, and I need one of the straps around my thigh to wrap it around your thigh to make the cut stop bleeding. So I'll reach down to unfasten that once I got to let you go."

The other was frowning at him, pushing his head back against the wall as if trying to melt into it and being freed from the hand that was pressing against his throat.

"Why d'you tell me that?"

Erwin looked at him, mildly surprised upon hearing his question, but relieved that his thinking hadn't culminated in another cascade of curses and insults.

"To prevent you from trying to lash out at me again because one of my actions surprises and scares you?"

The boy's eyes narrowed upon hearing his words and he hit Erwin's outstretched arm with as much force as he could muster with his free hand, wriggling underneath his larger body. The blow hurt, but he wasn't about to let the other know.

"I'm not scared you damn giant!"

He hissed at Erwin, his eyes still burning with an intensity that Erwin had not yet conceived, entertaining Erwin's idea of him being an untamed animal quite strongly. He sighed, quietly muttering "Of course not." and looked at him until the boy stilled, frustrated that he didn't stand a chance against Erwin. He sure was surprisingly strong for a boy his size and built but Erwin came with some natural advantages that outnumbered the black-haired boy by some.

"Can I let you go? I really didn't plan on sitting on top of you the whole night."

The boy snorted again and narrowed his eyes, glowering at him but his body relaxed just the tiniest bit.

"I don't know if you CAN but you SHOULD. Just fucking let go."

Erwin almost chuckled, he liked the boy's wits in a way – when ignoring the foul language he was expressing them with.

He slowly rocked back onto his heals, releasing the boy's throat and lifting his weight from his legs. He waited another few seconds until he slid his hand from underneath the boy's own, being fully aware of the fact that the boy now had the knife underneath his palm, just needing to grab it. For a split second he thought that he had been deluded by his trust in the other's common sense, noticing the boy's body tense up and he already worked up an emergency plan how to pin the other down best before he even moved a muscle – when the boy relaxed. His hand stayed on top of his knife but he didn't grab it. Erwin waited another few seconds, just to be sure, before he inclined his head to the side slightly.

"I take it that I can start?"

The blue eyes looked at him a little calmer now that he felt his knife's bade underneath his hand.

"Feel free."

Erwin smiled and sank to his knees next to the boys legs, grabbing his coat to put it around the boys shoulders. The younger wrapped it around him and covered himself with it, huddled into it as much as he could. Erwin moved his hands to quickly unfasten one of the straps circling his thigh before wrapping it around the boys thigh, fastening it firmly which earned him a little gasp from the boy. He opened one of the little packages that contained an aseptic piece of cloth and cleaned his hands. It earned him a dubious stare and a frown.

"You always carry all that stuff around?"

Erwin chuckled and opened another package containing aseptic compresses, preparing them to finally clean the wound. The bleeding had already ceased a little and he would just wait another minute.

"As we tend to get wounded quite often when running into titans it is rather advisable to do so, yes. It doesn't help much when you happen to… misplace an arm or a leg, though." And that happened on a regular basis he could tell.

The boy stared at him and made an engrossed sound but didn't shudder or gave any other hint that the thought of bitten off arms or legs intimidated him.

"Eww. …Recon Corps, huh…?"

Erwin smiled and lowered his hands to the wound after inspecting it for a few seconds.

"Yes. That's the ones with the wings. Careful, this might sting a little."

He gestured at the embroidered wings that were decorating his left breast pocket and then got to work, carefully wiping off the drying blood around the wound and its edges. His actions wrung a pained hiss from the boy's lips and he quietly apologized, continued his cleaning nevertheless.

"Hnn – I know that, thanks for the lecture."He flinched when Erwin moved to clean the deep but and he put a hand onto his thigh to keep him in place. "Nhhh… you must be mad to willingly become titan's food…"

Erwin looked up at him questioningly, arching his eyebrows.

"Pardon?"

The boy pressed his back against the wall to steady himself, clenching his jaw. The antiseptic might be stinging more than a little.

"It's true, isn't it? Each time you go outside not even half of you return… that's insane."

Ah, that was what the boy was aiming at. Returning to his task he decided that he might as well explain their – and with that his own – motives a little better. It sure didn't hurt to distract the boy from the cleaning he was doing as it seemed to be more painful than he had assumed.

"We suffer losses, that's true. But we need to face the titans, learn about them to fight them. We won't accomplish anything staying inside."

He took out another compress because his first one was already blood-soaked and got on with his task, making the boy moan softly.

"But you stay alive."

Erwin looked up into the boy's face that was tense with the pain he was feeling and he inclined his head a little.

"Alive and caged up. If that was what I wanted I'd have signed up for the Military Police."

He went on with cleaning his wound as the boy stayed silent for a while, hissing and cursing a little whenever Erwin moved away from the wound's edges more to the middle of the cut. He clenched his jaw and tried breathing through his nose, finally deciding that it was better to talk than to fully concentrate of the burning sensation Erwin was causing him.

"So… you willingly decided to join the Scouting Legion?"

He threw a glance at him, mildly surprised that he showed an interest in hearing about Erwin's own motives now. He nodded and took another compress, the last one as it seemed that the wound was as clean as he could achieve in a dirty alleyway.

"It had always been the Scouting Legion for me, there was no decision to be made. And I'm afraid that we might need to attempt a few stitches, the cut is too much ajar to just bandage it."

He fumbled with another package and shook out needle and thread when he managed to rip it open, causing the boy to groan. He smiled apologetically and prepared the needle, pushing the thread through the eye of the needle. "I'm sorry, you might have to prepare for a little more stinging. But I'm good at this our doctors always tell me, you'll avoid scarring like up there."He absentmindedly brushed his index finger across a rather nasty scar that marred the inside of his thigh, the one he had caught a glimpse on when he had fastened the leather-strap around the boy's thigh, not thinking much of it. Feeling the lean body flinch violently and jerk back made him look up, witnessing the boy's hand tighten around the handle of his knife and fear flash across his delicate features. Erwin blinked and help up his hands, confused by the fierce reaction. He looked at him apologetically, wondering what exactly had caused his reaction; pain or the touch itself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

He kept his words this way, watching the other for his reaction. He didn't think that the greatly scarred skin really hurt when being touched, but he had stirred something in the boy that definitely told him that there was something about the scar – but it didn't really matter, he bet the boy had tons of scars scattered across his body considering his lifestyle. He just wanted him to relax so he could get to stitch up the wound.

Dark blue eyes glowered at him, fear and mistrust flashing in his eyes, his hand tightened around the knife's handle again and Erwin almost felt the urge to apologize again - when the boy shook his head a little awkwardly and relaxed, sagging against the wall behind him. He motioned for Erwin to go on, reaching for a piece of his rags to cover the old scar with. Erwin complied and carefully started sewing the edges of the scars together after having wiped another compress across the scar to lower the chances of it inflaming to a minimum. The boy cringed a little and whimpered softly, biting down on his tongue to keep himself from making sounds. Again he chose distraction over concentrating on what Erwin was doing.

"But why? Why the Recon Corps?" he pressed through gritted teeth. Erwin was as gentle as he could be when sewing somebody together but of course it hurt. He would just have to endure it for another couple of minutes.

He didn't have to think long about the boy's question and answered it, relieved that the boy didn't seem to bear any enmity about what had just happened.

"Because I believe in freedom and the pride of humanity. I believe in a future where nobody has to be afraid of titans maybe breaching through a wall one day, in a future where no walls are needed to protect us. And therefore I'm willing to fight."

The boy winced when another stitch was made and secured with the surgeon's knot that Erwin was quite skilled at making by now, having stitched up many of his own wounds and those of others over the years. His eyes narrowed and he tried breathing calmly through his nose, calming himself. When he spoke, his voice indicated the pain he was feeling and Erwin thought to recognize a good measure of incredulity in its tone.

"But you're most likely to die?"

Erwin didn't look up because he wanted to finish the stitching as quickly as possible, but he smiled when he answered. His voice was firm, not leaving any doubt about the seriousness of his words.

"At least I know what I live and die for; and nothing can take that away from me. If I die in battle I'll die for the cause of humanity, and I'll die with my head up, proud that I have given everything I could to help freeing mankind from its imprisonment. If that's what it takes to get us closer to achieving our goal, I'll gladly give my all."

That silenced the boy for a few moments and when Erwin looked up he saw the boy glancing at him thoughtfully even though he frowned.

"So… you… die when you're ordered to?"

Erwin stopped the even movements of his hands and looked into the boy's eyes, inclining his head to the side a little.

"If that can be paraphrased into 'I'd do whatever I'm ordered to by my superiors', then yes, I would. Without hesitation."

Again his voice was even, serious, and filled with so much conviction that it made the boy fall silent again.

Erwin looked back down at the wound, only a few more stitches to go. Then he could put the remaining compresses to it and wrap the whole thing up with a bandage. That way he ran the less risks of it reopening or inflaming.

He seemed to have gotten his voice back as he heard him clear his throat and then speak.

"That… reduces your superiors to nothing better than what the titans are."

Securing the last stitch with another knot Erwin bent down and bit through the thread, examining the suture he had made with critical eyes before shifting his eyes to the boy's face, frowning slightly. The boy… had an interesting way of thinking. Now that he laid off the swearing and hissing he was remarkably quick at overlooking facts, adapting to new pieces of information and grasping them. Even though drawing wrong conclusions – but that came from lacking age and experience and Erwin set forth to correcting him. He was willing to answer his questions and discuss his criticism as long as he restrained from being abusive.

"Oh no, don't look at it that way. The titans kill for… hunger, for instinct, for fun even, maybe, we don't know. My superiors are aware of every man they send to death and they do it because it's humanity's only choice on advancing towards our goal. Sacrifices must be made and nothing can be changes if there aren't people who're ready to risk everything. My superiors… some people have to lose their humanity to save humanity. And they are dependent on people who're willing to trust them, to give them everything."

His words earned him a frown and the boy seemed to think about them a little more when Erwin grabbed for the last compresses to spread them onto the suture.

"Doesn't… that make you a will-less dog? And doesn't it collide with your will to be free and all that stuff?"

Erwin looked up and now it was his time to think about the other's words. They were amazingly elaborate he had to admit and it made him wonder just for how long the boy had been living on the streets. Judging from his looks he would aim for since he was born, from the way he thought… he was either a by nature very intelligent child that had a lot of bad luck or… he had acquired this lifestyle rather recently.

He inclined his head and looked into the dark blue eyes, noting that once he wasn't raging and concentrating on something his eyes and expression didn't give away his emotions as easily. There was a deadpan characteristic to his features once he was calm.

"Yes and no. I don't think about whether my superior's decision is right or not, I don't question. I obey. BUT I'm there because I want to; how does that make me will-less? I decided to sign my life over to the scouting legion and I don't regret it."

The boy looked at him and Erwin was almost curious what he would come up with next but he just snorted and watched Erwin when he grabbed the bandage and started firmly wrapping it around the boy's thigh.

"Hmpf. Quite the heroic martyr, huh?"

Erwin chuckled and smiled, being careful to apply just as much pressure to his movements that the bandage would neither slide down his thigh nor constrict the blood circulation there.

"I'd humbly call it loyal and romantically idealistic."

He knew that people not belonging to the Scouting legion who heard him talk would rather call him a fool, maybe insane and certainly a drilled subordinate to a system of bondage where you gave up yourself to serve the community. He doubted anybody could understand his feelings unless they had lived through the same things he did and shared at least some of his passion.

The boy snorted again and raised a hand to touch the bandage that Erwin had just finished wrapping around his thigh, looking up into Erwin's eyes.

"Huh. …who are you?"

Erwin cocked a head to the side, not sure what the boy wanted to know. His name, his position, his profession, in a literal or a figurative way? He wouldn't put wanting to know any of that beyond the black-haired boy.

He decided to start with the most obvious, though.

"My name is Erwin Smith."

The boy threw him an almost bored look; he took it he hadn't been interested in his name.

"No, I mean that." He gestured vaguely in the direction of Erwin's chest and he needed the following question to realize what the boy had seen there. "Is it a… rank?"

Erwin had almost forgotten that he did wear a golden emblem to his chest. He usually wouldn't put it there as all of his men knew who he was anyway but he had wanted to show it to his sister and brought it along for that reason. Erwin smiled and packed up the things that still remained from patching the boy up, putting it back into the breast pocket of his short leather jacket.

"I'm the Scouting Legion's corporal."

His words didn't seem to have much of an effect but he had been looking into the boy's face attentively for quite a while now, to the extent that he caught the minimal widening of his eyes. The boy must be profoundly shaken, having been patched up by and having chatted with not only a soldier of all things but one of the higher ranked leaders of the Military – that must have tumbled over his view on the world.

"…"

Erwin smiled and rocked back onto his heels, looking at the boy questioningly.

"Do you think you can stand?"

He had rested a little, warmed up and the wound was taken care of but he still had lost a fair amount of blood. Erwin watched him when he carefully tried to get to his feet, trying not to strain his injured leg too much. Below the cloak he was clutching the package with the soaked bread to his chest with one hand.

Erwin held out a helping hand but the boy only glowered at him and used the wall to make it back to his feet. He swayed a little but then steadied himself, still bracing himself against the wall. Erwin stood up to his full height, realizing just how short the boy was now that he was standing right next to him; the black-haired boy had to look up quite a lot when he wanted to see into Erwin's face. And his cloak was pooling around the other's ankles because it was much too long for him, making him seem even tinier.

The smaller one let go of the wall, putting his weight onto both of his legs and tried shifting it onto the left. If it hurt a lot he covered that up quite a lot, he just narrowed his eyes a little but kept himself upright. Erwin had to give him credit, he had seen grown men injured less and whining much more.

A thought crossed his mind and he paused when he thought about it another few moments, his mind already scheming. That… might have been the silliest thing he had ever thought of… but… in a way it seemed like the only road he could take at this crossroad. And again he trusted on his instincts.

"Where is your… the place you're staying?"

He would have almost said 'home' but chances were high that the boy didn't have something like that so he paraphrased it to not making it sound like mockery.

Blue eyes narrowed and the boy gripped his knife's handle a little tighter but relaxed a moment later and tugged the knife back into somewhere in his rags.

"Everywhere."

Erwin nodded and then went over to retrieve his sword, refastening it to his belt where he had taken it off a while ago. His actions were eyed skeptically but when he returned to the boy he wasn't greeted with a drawn-out knife and he took that as a good sign.

"I'll walk you everywhere, then." The other's protests were simply ignored and he cut through the boy's voice with his own, making it clear that he wouldn't take a 'no' for an option."I'll keep you company for a while. You don't have to lead me anywhere, just close to there you want to go or up to which point you feel it is safe for you to take me. But I didn't patch you up to have you murdered because you're in no shape to fight anybody off right now."

The other huffed and glared at him but Erwin knew that the boy knew that he was having a point. He was weakened and injured, he wouldn't be able run or move as quickly as he had to to make up for his lacking size and mass and that was making him an easy target.

He pfffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, pulling Erwin's cloak even tighter around his body.

"Don't you have more important things to do? Like being a titan's midnight snack?"

Erwin grinned and shook his head before turning to leave the narrow street.

"That brilliant scheme has to be delayed until morning, titans are rather inactive during the night. Lead the way."

The boy stared at him incredulously and Erwin smiled, always content to have him at a loss of what to say. His mouth was even a little agape before he remembered to shut it and put a bored expression onto his delicate features. He huffed again and then started limping out of the narrow alleyway back onto the broader street Erwin had been walking on when he had run into the quarrel. He spared the four corpses a glimpse as they passed, feeling bad that he hadn't been able to get into the picture before the boy had taken them out. He knew that he had to do something about it, but in which way… depended strongly on the way the boy and himself were going to part.

"The Military sure fucks with your minds, the way you're talking can't be called sane."

Erwin chuckled and left the boy's side for a moment to retrieve the paperback his sister had given him before joining him, the boy hadn't stopped walking. Erwin's cloak polished the floor behind him.

"It has always been rumoured that I had a grim sense of humor."

The boy snorted and limped on, not making a sound indicating that his movements hurt.

"You sure do."

They walked in silence for a little while and Erwin found that now was the right time to set some things in motion. Without looking at him he asked him a question.

"Have you ever thought of joining the Military?"

The black-haired boy turned his heads towards him and gave him a frown, his brows furrowed.

"Is that a catch question?"

Erwin chuckled and shook his head, looking at the boy.

"Why didn't you, if I may inquire? And don't tell me 'I don't get along with the Military Police' because that's no reason. You can have a great career in the Military without having much to do with the Military Police."

The frown even deepened and the boy was looking at him strangely. Maybe he thought Erwin had finally lost it – and he admitted that maybe, in his position, Erwin would think exactly the same.

"If I can't appoint 'I'm a criminal and just don't want to be put into prison' as a good reason then it would be: I'm not insane?"

Now it was Erwin's turn to frown as he wasn't able to follow his train of thoughts. When he answered he didn't know if what he was saying was an answer according to what the boy had asked him by his cryptic question.

"The Scouting Legion isn't the only branch you could sign up for if you want to tell me that you think that you're not insane enough to fight titans outside the walls. There is the Stationary Guard and, of course, the Military Police, too. Even though you do need top grades to be able to join the latter."

When the boy answered it was Erwin who was at a loss of what to say; because he hadn't expected it to be anything like that.

"I didn't mean the titans. For me almost everyone is like a titan… I'm not afraid of guys bigger than me. There's no difference between the threat of being stabbed and the thread of being eaten." His voice was very quiet when he said the last words.

Erwin stared at him for a few seconds and then turned his head to look ahead, his brain working fast. That had been a statement – even though the boy probably had never even seen a titan what he said did make sense. He might never have experienced the terror of staring into a titan's grinning, lipless face and have gigantic hands reach for you, but in essential the boy was doing the same Erwin did: struggling against powers that were far beyond what he could muster up, always having to adapt quickly and finding ways to equal his opponent's power to take them down eventually, always having to fear that the slightest mistake could cost him his life. The emotions he had to be feeling when facing 4 grown men had to be similar to what Erwin was experiencing when he looked into a titan's greedy face.

He was silent for another few seconds, silently thanking his instincts to be so accurate that he could trust on them without much thinking.

When he turned back to the boy, he found blue eyes looking at him.

"They offer you a warm bed, food three times a day and the security that you won't be killed in your sleep. They train you properly for three years and allow you to choose your path from there. It's the only education offered for free. I wouldn't say that sounds too bad."

His voice sounded exactly like it had the whole time, nothing giving away the urgency he was feeling. He had to go about this the right way if he wanted the situation to play out the way he wanted it to and he wasn't sure yet if he was able to push the right buttons.

The boy frowned and looked away, staying silent for a while. Erwin waited patiently, rather certain that he would get a verbal reaction from the smaller one. The fact that the boy hadn't waved him off with a simple 'I just don't want to, shut the hell up.' and was instead thinking about his words delighted him a little.

When the boy finally spoke his voice was very hesitant and quiet, Erwin had to concentrate to hear the middle part before the boy spoke up and hastily finished his sentence.

"… I… I wouldn't… couldn't… I just… I don't want to be a tool."

He looked away to the side but Erwin had caught his almost flustered expression for the glimpse of a moment. He smiled a little, unseen by the boy, and looked ahead to spare the boy of having to hide his face from him. He thought that he knew what the boy had wanted to say before it occurred to him that he was about to say something rather… personal. Giving away what he felt. Up to now he had asked Erwin a lot of things about himself and his feelings but hadn't shared anything of his own.

He carefully thought about his words before mouthing them, hoping that they affected the boy in the way he intended to.

"I've realized for myself that sometimes… it needs submission to gain freedom."

The boy didn't respond to that, all he got was a long, contemplating stare – and he got the feeling that it was exactly what he wanted to get.

The boy came to a halt at another crossroad and looked up at Erwin who stopped next to him.

"I'll go on alone."

Erwin nodded and the boy moved to untangle himself from Erwin's cloak but he just put up a hand.

"No, keep it."

The boy stared at him and Erwin smiled, content to have thrown him off-balance again.

"You can come to the east garrison and return it."

His voice didn't give away if he was serious about his proposal or not, he would leave it up to the boy to decide upon it. It had the effect that the boy sputterd and Erwin laughed, looking into his by incredulity twisted face.

"Take care until then."

And with nothing more he walked on, correcting his direction into that of the garrison he had to walk to. He smiled when he heard the other's voice call after him and chuckled.

"Don't get eaten by a titan!"

He glanced back over his shoulder to see the boy looking after him, his cloak still wrapped tightly around his emaciated body.

"As I'm staying here for another five days they'll unfortunately have to wait until next week."

The boy's snort was the last thing he heard before he rounded a corner and disappeared from the boy's sight. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath through his nose, exhaling slowly. Keeping on walking he let the night's events pass by before his inner eye, a mixture of feeling washing through him. That… had been unusual, to put it mildly. That boy… was very, very unusual. And also… Erwin had acted very unusually, he was aware of that fact. But… there was something already working in his mind, little pieces of information and impressions linking together to scheme out plans just as his mind always did. He was good at strategies and usually they turned out to be useful, just as his instincts rarely failed him. That was the only reason why he was acting like he did. Usually… he had to report what he had seen, civilians had been killed in front of his eyes, he had seen (and helped) a wanted criminal. That was something he couldn't just ignore. But – he was going about this in his own way. And he would do what he had to in order to have done his duties and remain a clean conscience.

It was all in the boy's hands to influence his fate – Erwin just hoped the boy would be living up to the expectations he had in him. He had seen something in him that he hoped he had managed to kindle, that he had put something in motion. Sometimes… all that was needed was a little inception.

Erwin went back to the garrison, the paperback full of pastries still in his hands. He couldn't avoid thinking guiltily that he could have given the boy some of them – but on the other hand… maybe it was better for him to stay hungry. It would make the prospect of three meals a day more desirable, he thought with a smile as he passed the guards stationed at the garrison's front door.

~*~

Okaaaaay~ now I can’t stop thinking of Irvin being Dominick Cobb… 8DDDD  
Hope you enjoyed reading this!  
<3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third chapter for you~  
> It's not going to be very long but there's another chapter coming up within the next few days~ <3  
> Hope you enjoy reading~

~*~

"That… is a very unusual request I'll have you know, corporal."

It somehow seemed that 'unusual' had become the word of the hour, Erwin thought to himself. Everything that had happened after his leaving his father's house had been highly unusual – so maybe it was time for unusual actions.

He was seated in front of an old oaken desk, his arms resting on the arm braces of the chair he was sitting on. Sitting face to face with him was an older man who was looking at Erwin bemusedly. He had recently given up on shaving every morning and was slowly growing a beard, the graying hair was starting to cover his cheeks and the skin underneath his nose. It being unfamiliar to Erwin's eyes it suited him, though. Dallis Zacklay was by almost 20 years Erwin's elder and he hadn't met many people who he respected to the extent that he respected Zacklay. He was a brilliant strategist, patient, fair, charismatic, strong, brave, a lot of qualities that Erwin wished to achieve to a greater extent himself.

Reporting yesterday night's events to his commander was the first thing he was doing this morning. He was lucky to have caught the commander before the man had had a chance to leave the garrison and now he was seated in front of him, waiting for Zacklay to give him his opinion about it all. To say that he was relaxed and comfortable would have been a blatant lie although he knew that none of it showed on the outside. His deadpan face was quite good and he knew that he had to be souvereign in this conversation to make his plan rule out – or at least to create surroundings in which his plan as much as had a CHANCE to rule out.

He inclined his head and looked at his commander who had his hands crossed in front of his face and returned his gaze rather bewilderedly.

"I'm aware of that fact, commander. I know it's a rather questionable matter on the whole, that's why I came here first thing in the morning."

His commander nodded, leaning back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"The criminal the Military Police has been searching for for months… is a lad of little size…?"

Erwin nodded, crossing his hands in front of his stomach without lifting his elbows off the arm rests.

"He might be. After having seen him fight I have a strong feeling that it could be him they're searching for."

Zacklay nodded slowly, frowning at Erwin.

"Then why not handing him over? He murdered people, Erwin, I don't see the point in covering him up."

Erwin knew that the boy's fate was going to be decided here. Even though he didn't know his name or where he was to be found exactly Erwin had seen his face – and if his commander decided not to trust his judgment he would have to give it to the Military Police. As much as he wanted his plan to work he wouldn't risk his commanders trust – he knew his place in this system and he belonged with the Military, to serve his cause was still his top priority.

When he spoke, his voice was very serious and clear. He knew that he had his commander's full attention as Zacklay did value his opinion highly.

"He defended himself against people stealing from him and ended up killing them. The outcome is no difference but I need to point out that he's not evil. He didn't kill for fun or money, he killed for two pieces of bread. He's a kid that probably has been forced to become a criminal in order to stay alive."

Zacklay looked at him and sighed, shaking his head.

"That is a very sad picture indeed, but things like that happen every day. I still don't see the necessity to make such a fuss about an arbitrary boy. Taking him into Military training in the middle of a turn and never have him convicted for the crimes he has committed? That is very audacious, Erwin. Why do you go to such extents?"

Erwin looked at him, thinking about his words before mouthing them. He was aware of the fact that what he was doing could be negative to his authenticity and his reputation, but IF his plan worked… he was sure that his audacity wouldn't be in vain.

"Because I've seen the spirit of a warrior. I've seen his indestructible will to survive, I've seen stubbornness, his complete lack of fear, quick thinking, ability to adapt fast and cleverly. He possesses everything that would make him a great soldier. We need men like this, more than anything."

Zacklay looked at him, contemplating him and his words silently for several seconds. Erwin held his gaze, being fully convinced of what he had just said.

The other man finally reacted, leaning back in his chair.

"Erwin, you know that I genuinely trust your knowledge of human nature and your ability to read people, that is the only reason why I haven't informed the Military Police right away. But… isn't this all a little too vague? Did he say anything about even wanting to join?"

Erwin still looked at him steadily, he had no intention on backing down. He also had the strong urge to fight until he was sure there was no hope left.

"We didn't talk about it but I'm sure that he's thinking about a lot of things right now. All I know for sure is that it would be a waste of capability to just let him rot in prison. One criminal off the street and working for the cause of humanity sounds so much better to me."

Zacklay was silent again, watching him closely. Erwin endured it again, hoping intently that he was somehow reaching his commander.

"Did you… agree on meeting again or something? How is he supposed to join if you don't know where he is?"

Erwin smiled just a little bit.

"I think he will come to see me."

Zacklay stared at him for a second then shook his head and sighed.

"Erwin, I have no idea what it is that you're scheming in that clever head of yours but… I've trusted on your opinion so often before and have never been deceived. Whatever you think you will gain from all this, you've got my permission to try it."

A colossal wave of relief crashed through him when he heard those words and his smile brightened when his commander raised a hand.

"With certain conditions. I'll give you full responsibility for the boy, you arrange his getting into a trainee squad - and you report to me regularly, of course. If something goes terribly wrong it will fall back to me as the commander. I give him a little time to prove himself – and if he fails to live up to our expectations I'll hand him over to the Military Police for them to do whatever they want with him. Are you alright with this?"

Erwin didn't have to think about it for long, he nodded. It sounded fair – if the boy didn't turn out the way Erwin wanted him to then he was d'accord with him going to prison. He just wanted to have the boy given a chance – and he would see that he took it.

He got up from his chair and bowed to his commander.

"I am. I'm very grateful for your trust, I deeply appreciate it."

Zacklay nodded and for the first time since he had wished him a good morning the man smiled.

"I wouldn't have appointed you my corporal if I didn't feel ready to listen to your ideas and opinion, the great strategist that you are. I just hope that this boy is worth your trust, Erwin."

He returned his smile and saluted to his commander.

"Thank you, Dallis. I'll report to you as soon as I have news in that matter. I'll turn to my duties now, I've already cost you enough of your time."

Zacklay smiled and waved him off, also standing up to get his jacket as he was about to leave as well.

"I've always got time for the case of humanity." He winked at Erwin und he had to smile, knowing that his commander was taking him serious, "See you in the meeting later."

Erwin nodded and left his superiors office, feeling relieved and filled with a more positive kind of tension. That was done, surroundings were created – now it all depended on the boy – and the quality of the inception he had made.

~*~

I’m sorry that this chapter turned out to be so short but I rather portion the chapter because of its content and not the amount of words. The next will be longer, I promise! XD  
Hope you enjoyed reading this!  
<3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forth chapter~  
> Thanks to those who're reading and commenting and liking this! <3 I appreciate all of you! 
> 
> Here we go! XD

~*~

The sun had long sunk below the horizon and he had ignited the lamps in his temporary office, submerging the bleak room in flickering, warm light. He was sitting at his desk, reading through a file that had been delivered to him not long ago. At was actually very interesting to read as it contained an essay-like text about titans, assumptions were being made and ideas had been written down, Erwin was rather impressed. The author, a Hanji Zoe, seemed to have given the things she wrote there a lot of thought. The woman was a few years younger than Írvin and a part of the Recon Corps – he didn't know her personally but she seemed very capable to him from what he read in the file. Hanji Zoe had dedicated herself to the study of titans and Erwin had been rather delighted to hear about it, requesting her essays right away. He, and he was sure that Hanji Zoe agreed whole-heartedly with him, was certain that they had to study the titans a lot more to learn about them, they would never find their weaknesses and habits of they didn't start watching them closely.

Maybe he should meet up with Hanji Zoe once he was back at their main quarters, he would arrange for that once he had caught up with the work that he was sure was already piling on his desk at the headquarters. Being away for a week indicated night-shifts during the next.

He looked up and put the file to the side, rubbing at his eyes. He had been reading all the time ever since returning from meeting up with his sister – and it was about 4 hours later already. The clock had just indicated that it was way past 11 already.

Erwin sighed and seriously contemplated just going to bed, he had done all the work he could do while being here and he felt tired so he probably should take up on the opportunity. He knew that once he got past being tired he would be awake for another few hours without any chance to fall asleep then – so maybe going to bed now was not an entirely bad idea.

He got up and stretched, moving his head to the left and to the right to make his bones crack before pushing the files littering his desk together, attempting at making his chaos appear… less chaotic.

It was already two days since he had met the boy on the street – and he hadn't heard of him since then. Part of him was a little concerned but he had told the boy how long he would stay here – and chances were high that IF the boy came to see him it would be on his very last day here. Or night to be more precise because Erwin didn't think the boy would just tell the guards watching the front door to take him to the commander. No, if he came he would more likely try to get in unnoticed – which Erwin didn't think he could manage as he had told the guards to watch out for him.

That concerned part of him nagged at him a little but he fought it off. There was no sense in worrying – if the boy really didn't come he wasn't worth the trouble.

Erwin was just about to take off his jacket as he heard voices outside of his door, loud voices, and a few of them. Wondering what the ruckus was about he frowned and went over to his door to open it, peering into the corridor that was lit by oil lamps from his doorframe. And he felt a smile tug on his lips when he saw four man walking down the corridor, three of them handling the forth one that was distinctively shorter and resisting greatly.

"Let go of me you shitty bastards, LET THE FUCK GO I'll kill you the moment I-"

"A very good evening to you, too."

Erwin leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled at the men that had almost reached. The boy had stilled upon hearing his voice and blue eyes were staring at him, his face that had been contorted with rage relaxed a little.

"Tell them to let me the fuck go!"

Erwin turned his attention to the guards, looking them up and down.

"Is somebody hurt?"

He had briefed the guards that there might be somebody trying to get into the headquarters unnoticed and that they had to be very careful because said person didn't look like it but was probably going to do anything it took to free himself.

One of the guards sneered und pointed at the boy with his chin.

"Nah, as we knew what we were facing he didn't stand a chance. Kicked me in the shins, though."

The boy sputtered and struggled against the three men and Erwin sighed, raising a hand.

"Let him go, then. Thanks for your alertness, I appreciate it greatly."

He had also ordered them to bring the intruder to him directly, no need to bother the commander in the middle of the night, and that he was not to be hurt no matter what. What he needed the least was to increase the boy's grudge against the Military even more.

The soldiers did as Erwin had told them and released the writhing boy. Erwin took a step back and opened the door a little wider, causing the boy to glower at him. Blue eyes flickered along the corridor, obviously searching for exits and possibilities to flee, and Erwin waited. The boy had come here on his free will whatever his intentions might have been, fleeing now didn't make any sense. And Erwin knew that the boy also knew that.

In the end the boy sped past him into his office, huffing and glaring at him. Erwin chuckled and looked at the three guards, one of them holding a bundle out to him.

"He carried that with him, corporal."

Erwin took the bundle of cloth, knowing what it was and smiled at the men.

"Thank you. You may return to your duties. But please stop by the kitchen and tell somebody to bring some soup and bread." He was sure that the boy was hungry – and soup was a perfect start into regular nourishment. People not having eaten properly for a while had a hard time handling more food as their stomachs needed time to adjust to the change. Giving them rich and greasy food right away would only make them sick to their stomachs.

The three guards saluted and returned to their positions, leaving Erwin alone with the boy. He closed the door and turned around, looking for the younger one for a moment – and found him standing close to the window, arms crossed in front of his chest. He was returning his gaze, blue eyes were glowering at him and Erwin smiled.

"You came." He pointed out the obvious, masking his excitement and still lingerie feeling or surprise perfectly. Erwin went over to hang his cloak up onto the coat rack and then returned to his desk, sitting down in his Spartan chair. He was aware of the blue eyes following him around and he looked back at them once he was seated. The expression in them had settled into the bored look he had given Erwin before, seeming entirely uninterested in everything. The tension in his body was giving him away though, the terror of having been caught and dragged off was still clinging to him.

"You're very clever."Erwin smirked and watched the boy's eyes flicker through the room, taking in his surroundings. Maybe checking for exits again. "I came to give back your cloak."

Erwin smiled and inclined his head, lifting one leg to place his ankle onto the other leg's knee, making himself comfortable and showing the other that he wouldn't hinder him do anything.

"That's very considerate of you. How is the wound?"

He hoped that it hadn't become inflamed… it didn't seem to hurt too much as the boy moved around with only a minimal limping to his stride.

"It's fine."

The boy finished his inspection of the sparsely furnished room, returning his gaze to Erwin and arching one of his thin eyebrows.

"That's not much of a fancy room… you're really the corporal?"

Erwin chuckled und put his hands into his lap.

"I am. I'm sorry to disenthrall your expectations but pomp in military quarters is very limited. In addition this is just an emergency quarter that we get to stay in for a few days; at the head quarters I'm the proud owner of a couch, a bookshelf and a painting."

The boy snorted and threw a glance over his shoulder, out of the window before returning it to Erwin.

"Sounds impressive." His voice was as bored as before, his blue eyes not giving anything away. Now that he was done showering people with insults he appeared to be very composed and Erwin took it as a new challenge to break through the act. He wasn't just here for returning the cloak, as much as he wanted to make him believe that. He could have let it at the doorstep or handed it over to one of the guards if he wasn't here to talk to Erwin.

Blue eyes rested on him, narrowing just the slightest bit when he spoke up again.

"You told them about me, right? They knew I was coming."

Smart boy, Erwin thought to himself. Being the skilled criminal he was he might have been able to sneak in unnoticed (after all who would want to break into a Military quarter?) as it usually wasn't guarded heavily – but with guards on the watch out and patrolling the corridors he didn't have a chance. Besides members of the Scouting Legion were in average stronger even than other soldiers as they fought much more and the boy had thus faced opponents that were much stronger than what he was used to.

Smiling at him he gestured for him to take the seat on the other side of the desk.

"Yes."

He shot him a glare, his brows furrowed and he made no move to join Erwin at the desk, choosing to stubbornly stand by the window.

"You didn't know I was coming."

No… he didn't. He had hoped he would but he wouldn't tell him. He merely smiled, not intent on starting an argument.

"I told them there might be somebody trying to sneak in. I thought that was more your style than just giving the cloak to one of the guards to pass it on to me."

Blue eyes were still glaring daggers at him and Erwin held his gaze, not about to lose this staring contest. The boy eventually huffed and looked to the side for a moment and set to say something when there was a knock on the door. He tensed and fixed the door with alarmed eyes, obviously not keen on the prospect of more company. Erwin got up from his chair and walked over to the door, opening it and finding the expected sight before him: an elderly woman that was looking at him tiredly, the guards had probably stirred her from her slumber. She was holding a tray in her hands with the ordered soup and bread on it, gazing at him. Erwin smiled sympathetically and took the tray from her hands, bowing to her slightly.

"I strongly apologize for troubling you in the middle of the night. I won't make it a habit, I promise. Thank you."

The woman laughed a little and returned the bow, waving him off.

"I've been through worse, corporal. Don't work too much, it's already late."

She actually patted his cheek and then turned to walk down the corridor, leaving Erwin with the tray. He blinked and shook his head a little, returned into his office and kicked the door shut carefully. Walking back to his desk and placing the tray down on the polished surface he shot the boy at his window another look, smiling at him.

"Maybe taking a seat seems a little more appealing now?"

It didn't take the blue eyes long to analyze the situation, taking in the big bowl of soup and the two smaller ones, obviously Erwin wasn't the only one supposed to eat. And it took him even less long to stalk across the room, dropping onto the chair on Erwin's opposite and grabbing for one of the bowls hungrily. He started immediately, inhaling the thick soup rather than just eating it. Erwin pushed the small basket of bread over to the boy and it was plundered just as mercilessly, the bread and the soup disappeared in the boy's belly faster than Erwin had ever seen anyone eat. On the other hand… he hadn't ever seen anybody almost starved to death. At least not this close, at the same table as he was sitting at. He was looking at the other in amazement, eating a little from his own share of soup. He wasn't really hungry, he had eaten when meeting his sister even though that had already been a few hours ago. Usually he didn't stay up that long, he rather was a morning-person. He liked being up early when the rest of the headquarters was still asleep, providing him a few hours of peace and quiet where he could get some work done.

The boy was still shoveling food into his mouth and Erwin started wondering where the boy all stuffed it. And came to the conclusion that it didn't matter, he just ate as long as he had the opportunity.

Erwin leaned back in his chair, neglecting his half-empty bowl.

"If you don't stop soon you're going to be sick. You shouldn't stress your stomach right away."

Blue eyes shot him a glare. "I don't care."

Figured. Erwin cocked his head to the side a little, crossing his legs at his ankles below the desk.

"How long has it been since you really ate the last time?"

The boy didn't need to search for an answer very long.

"Never?"

Made sense, though… if he had been living on the streets and stealing his food for a while, maybe years… he had never really had the opportunity to eat as much as he wanted or to take his time with eating, enjoying it. He had eaten to stay alive, no matter where the food came from or what it was. He nodded and watched him a little longer, it didn't take him long to just finish everything that had been on the tray. Erwin even pushed his own bowl over for the boy to finish if he wanted to – and of course the boy did. Erwin just hoped that his stomach would handle bread and soup in that quantity… it should be used to bread but hot food with proteins in it was a different matter. He would just hope for the best.

"Would you tell me your name?"

He had noticed at some point that he had never asked for it and it got tiresome to only think of him as 'the boy'.

The boy looked up from the bowl he was just finishing and paused for a moment, eying Erwin warily. He held his gaze until the boy lowered his eyes, shifting his attention back to the soup.

"… Rivai."

Erwin smiled and then frowned, finding the name the boy had given him a little strange. There was something about the way he pronounced it that was a little odd. When he thought about it, the way the boy spoke was a little odd altogether. He hadn't really thought about it yet because he had just assumed that it was due to the boy living on the streets, that altering his language. But… he was doing something with the R-sound that Erwin couldn't even pronounce. He tried, though, vocally.

"Li… Leva-i."

Blue eyes stared at him and he set the bowl and spoon aside, a scowl settling on his face.

"Why can't you people pronounce it properly? Riii-vaaiii. It's not so hard, really."

It was hard, though. Making a sound that usually wasn't needed in a language was something that needed practice and time. Erwin wondered where he got his name from and why the boy knew how to pronounce the sound properly. And came to only one possible conclusion.

"You weren't born here, am I right? The pronunciation and the way you speak… it reminds me of the people around Karanese district. Have you immigrated here?"

The frown on the boy's face even deepened and he leaned back on the chair, placing his hands on his stomach that was BOUND to hurt. After having eaten so much in so little time Erwin was just waiting for him to be sick.

"…how am I supposed to know? I've been here as long as I can think."

Erwin nodded and thought for a minute, inclining his head a little.

"And how long is that?"

The black-haired boy shrugged and pulled his legs up, curling up in the chair. Erwin mused it that position was comfortable, it had never occurred to him to sit a chair like that. Blue eyes flickered around his office again, looking at nothing in particular.

"I don't know. I've carved something into… a column for every spring that I've seen. To… keep track."

He couldn't help but feel a dull stab to his heart when listening to the boy's words. His voice was indifferent, nothing in it gave away that he was bothered by the fact that he had… carved a sign into a column for each passing year instead of celebrating his birthday, getting presents. He had most likely been all alone for years. That… was bitter. And it meant… that he didn't know his exact age.

"And how many have that been?"

Blue eyes shot him a glance before wandering around the sparse room again.

"11."

Erwin nodded, putting the pieces of information he had gathered together in his head.

"So… you might be around 15, 16 maybe."

The boy shrugged again and watched Erwin when he reached below his desk, conjuring two cups and a clay jug from there. He poured them each a cup of water and the boy reached for it, drinking it at once.

"Maybe."

Erwin refilled his cup and put the jug to the side, taking a sip of his own water.

"You've always been living out there? Alone?"

It still seemed like a miracle to him… how the boy lived through years on the street without somebody looking after him. 11 years plus some years when he had been too young to remember them… that was an awful long time spend alone. He was very, very lucky to have survived.

A thin black eyebrow was arched and he shook his head a little, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Do I look like somebody's spoiled brat to you?"

Erwin looked at him, taking another sip from his cup.

"Not exactly, no." He looked like somebody who had been alone for a lot of time, mistrusting everybody and seeing them as enemies. Erwin had achieved quite a lot, gaining a little of the boy's trust. He had, the black-haired boy would have never come to him if he didn't somehow think that Erwin wasn't worth his trust.

He looked at the boy, thinking that he just didn't look his age… he still looked like 12 to him, small and haggard and unkempt as he was.

"What did you come here for, Levai?" He still didn't have an answer to that, but he was very interested in hearing what the boy had to say.

He shot Erwin a glare and then rolled his eyes.

"RIVAI."

Erwin tried it again, silently, and failed. He couldn't pronounce it correctly in his head and much less with his mouth. So…

"…I'll just stick to Levi, okay?"

Another glare was thrown at him but for some reason if softened a little after a while.

"Fine."

A little surprised that the alteration of his name was just accepted without any protest Erwin smiled softly. Back to the topic of his interest.

" What are you here for?"

Levi rolled his eyes and unfolded from his position on the chair, placing his dirty naked feet back onto the wooden floor. Once again his eyes went wandering through the room, Erwin's desk and the things littering it seemed to have caught his attention this time.

"I came to return the cloak."

Erwin watched him, suspected that the blue eyes tried to encipher words and numbers written on some of the papers on his desk – but then it occurred to him that Levi most likely didn't know how to read. Having spent all his life on the streets caused lacking education, of course.

"You did that quite successfully."

Levi shot him a glance and tugged a strand of dirty black hair behind his ear.

"Yeah…" His files seemed to have caught his attention, his eyes were brushing over them. Erwin was a very diligent man… but it wasn't showing on his desk. He always had some kind of… chaotic order in the places he worked, always finding what he needed – but to the eyes of others there were just sheets and files littering his desk. Thin lips were pressed together for a moment before the boy spoke up. "What are these?"

He sounded genuinely curious and Erwin decided to answer his question even though he was aware of the fact that Levi had once again changed the subject when he had asked him for his reason to be here.

"They're reports."

A thin eyebrow was arched in his direction and the boy leaned forward a little.

"About?"

Erwin cocked his head to the side, letting his own eyes roam over the stacks of paper, folders, quills and ink.

"About about everything. I need to look at quite a lot of things, read and stamp, give my approval or decline, file my own reports for my superiors. It's quite a lot of paperwork actually."

"Sounds thrilling." Levi nodded and his eyes fastened on Hanji's essay.

"What's this?"

Which didn't surprise Erwin at all, the folder was flipped open and its pages were decorated with little drawings when Hanji wanted to make something visibly clear. Of course that would catch Levi's attention the most.

"It's something one of my soldiers wrote, a collection of information about titans that she put together during her research. That's indeed rather thrilling I have to say."

He nodded slowly and let his eyes roam over the untidy handwriting before looking up at Erwin.

"So… you don't just kill titans?"

Erwin inclined his head a little, still willing to answer the boy's questions. He showed a genuine interest in the whole matter and he took that as a good sign. If he was really interested in signing up for the military he would have to do a whole bunch of learning anyway. This year's trainees had already been in their camps for a couple of months by then.

"The term 'just kill titans' is not the coherent one, I'm afraid. You don't just kill titans… they're rather hard to kill as they have very little weaknesses. But no, we run a lot of research during the missions outside of the walls, trying to get as much information as we can possible get. We're named recon corps for a reason – instead of… elite titan-killing legion or something."

The boy nodded slowly and pulled up one leg to tuck it underneath him, taking in another position that Erwin had never even considered taking when sitting on a chair.

"So you go outside and many people die… and sometimes you don't even kill a single titan?"

Blue eyes were watching him intently and just like two nights ago Erwin was a little amazed about how Levi's brain worked. He was quick-thinking and Erwin genuinely liked that. Whatever had happened to him on the streets for all these years it hadn't cauterized his mind.

"That happens, yes. It's unlikely as we don't get round meeting titans the moment we step out of the gates and mostly we have to kill them to not get eaten; but back when we didn't really know how to kill a titan it was grim reality."

The fatality rate of the scouting legion had even been higher than it was now. With finding their ultimate weak spot they had advanced a lot on their way to free mankind from suppression – and yet it didn't get less dangerous to face them.

Levi watched him again like he was processing everything that Erwin said and put the knowledge somewhere in his mind. Maybe he was doing just that or Erwin was lead by a strong wish that the boy really did.

"Hm… what are they like?"

Titans seemed to become the topic of their meeting today – but Erwin didn't mind at all. He took another sip of his water.

"They're huge, they're mostly grinning and they chase after you the moment they smell you. Their bodies are very hot, making our blades go dull when cutting through their flesh. They ignore about everything except for human beings, as far as we can tell we are their only food. They're terrifying and we still have to learn so much about them."

Levi nodded slowly to himself, was silent for a minute. When he spoke up again he was looking directly at Erwin, keeping his voice just as indifferent and unattached as before.

"Terrifying… are you afraid of them?"

It didn't take Erwin long to answer his question, having answered that a lot of times before. But that was something he didn't really have to think about, it just rolled off his tongue naturally because he really meant it the way he said it.

"No. It would be a lie to say that I don't feel any apprehension when facing them but it's not fear filling me."

Nobody could face a titan without feeling anything, Erwin was convinced of that. It was just the question if you let yourself be swamped by fear or stay calm and deal with the situation rationally. That was what he did, the moment panic clawed at you it was most likely over.

Levi watched his eyes intently, maybe searching for signs of Erwin lying to him, but he wouldn't find any.

"What are their weaknesses?"

Erwin smiled, Levi really did a great job luring him away from the question that was still unanswered. And still managed to stay genuinely curious.

"They only have a few. The problem is that no matter which part of them you hurt or even cut off, it regenerates. You can blind their eyes to make targeting them less dangerous, you can cut their Achilles tendon to slow them down or even make them fall but then you have to be very quick to take them out as they'll heal within seconds. And the only way to kill them is to cut out a large piece of flesh from their neck."

That made the boy frown, he eyed Erwin up and down and then cocked his head to the side a little.

"And how… do you get up there? Or do you make every single titan fall to cut its neck?"

Erwin smiled and pointed over to where he had placed his 3D-manoeuver gear on the floor, ready to be put on in instants if the situation required it.

"That's why we have that."

The frown creasing his forehead only deepened and he looked back and forth between the direction Erwin had motioned to and Erwin himself. Eventually he got up from his chair and went over to the weapon, eying it cautiously. Erwin joined him there, catching the boy's eyes when he looked at him curiously.

"And how does it work?"

Erwin pondered just how detailed he wanted to talk about the 3D-maneuver gear – it was a military weapon and civilians shouldn't be made familiar with its employment, for various reasons. But… he still believed that the boy had come here for a reason that night… and in that case he could tell him exactly how the weapon worked.

He decided to spill, in the end. He explained the whole functioning of the gear, what the wires where there for, the gas, why they needed to carry several blades with them, how they moved when having switched to 3D-maneuver gear, how it was attached to their uniform.

In the end he had the boy staring at the weapon that looked more or less unimposing when it wasn't used.

"That sounds… very complicated."

He chuckled and put the weapon back down, returning to his chair at the desk and expecting Levi to do the same.

"We don't train our recruits for the whole of three years for no reason. A big part of the training is getting familiar with using the 3D-manoeuver gear – even though most people won't use it after graduation."

He watched the boy when he moved over to the window, sitting down on the broad window sill while Erwin spoke. Blue eyes looked at him sharply when he heard the last few words.

"Why is that?"

Erwin helped himself to another cup of water.

"The 3D-manoever gear was exclusively designed for killing titans. The Military Police and the Stationary Guard don't face titans as their jurisdiction in within the walls. Every soldier carrying the gear within the walls needs special permission to do so. It's mostly the scouting legion carrying them when traversing a city on their way outside."

Levi nodded in understanding and tugged his legs underneath him. He seemed to get more comfortable in the room, Erwin noticed. He had his attention fixed on Erwin the whole time, not caring about finding possible emergency exits and such.

"The trainees choose their branch of the military at the end of their training?" "How many join the scouting legion?"

He almost sighed upon hearing his question, the situation regarding that was a little problematic to put it mildly.

"Knowing the fatality rate of the Recon Corps most soldiers prefer to join the Stationary Guard. To get into the Military Police is rather difficult as only the first 10 of a trainee squad are given the chance to join. Given that most of them choose the safer alternative."

While he didn't want people not entirely convinced of their choice in the scouting legion because it would only cost them and maybe others their lives – as harsh as it might have sounded, he didn't need people who felt obliged or pressured to join the recon corps, he needed people who WANTED to be there and give everything they could – it wouldn't hurt for them to have more supply, given the fact that most people joining the scouting legion didn't last long.

"Who would want to stay near nobles and the king anyway…"

That muttered thought of the boy caught his interest. It wasn't too surprising that the boy didn't like nobles and their kind too much because in his eyes those were people who had everything while he and many others had to deal with hunger and poverty everyday– but there was something to his words that he found astonishing.

Erwin looked at him, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"People who prefer leading a safe live without having to fear death every day."

The boy snorted and leaned back against the glass, his thin eyebrows furrowed.

"Such cowardly pricks."

Erwin watched him, thinking about what he said. While it wasn't Erwin's place to judge other people's decisions the boy just spoke his mind freely. And quite clearly… it didn't matter if Erwin approved of people's decision on which branch to choose, even if he had an opinion about it he would keep it to himself. Each soldier needed to choose what he was comfortable with and how he wanted to spend his life, it was a fundamental right to do so and as he was occupying a high position he wouldn't say anything – he didn't need to as his choice of branch already expressed enough.

But the boy's intensity in the way he spoke surprised him – and he liked it. Because he was recognizing a pattern of thinking that he found within himself – less aggressively.

"You think it's cowardly to preserve your own life?"

Blue eyes stared at him, and for the first time that night Erwin saw something burn in them. They had glowered with fury, mistrust, pain two nights ago, but in that moment… it was different. There was a certain determination to them, a rock-solid conviction that Erwin couldn't quite place yet. But he was sensing where they were heading.

"I think it's cowardly to hide and let other people die for me. It's cowardly to watch them fight without helping. Nothing can be changed without sacrifices and people who're ready to risk everything."

He was silent for a while, just looking at Levi intently. A smile tugged on his lips, a most sincere one as there were real emotions altering his features.

"That does suspiciously sound like something I said two nights ago."

It did. There was only one conclusion to all of his even if Erwin was still threading around it carefully.

Blue eyes watched him, the burning in his eyes quickly replaced with his usual bored expression.

"Aren't you smart."

Erwin unfolded his arms and put them on his desk, still watching the boy. Maybe it was time to finally name it, confirming that his expectations were not wrong and that he had done right when inspiring the boy two nights ago.

"So… I take it that, apart from the returning of my cloak, you came here for another reason."

Blue eyes narrowed and shot him a glare but it didn't last long, Levi lowered his gaze and plucked at a thread on his sleeve.

"… three meals a day sounds very good."

The smile on Erwin's features widened and he couldn't help but chuckle. That was all the confirmation he needed; his plan was a success.

He addressed him again, feeling the need to remind him that this decision was a rather meaningful one as it would most likely change the whole course of his life. And that was not to be taken lightly.

"Did you think about it thoroughly? It's a decision that will influence your-"

Levi shot him another glare and unfurled on the windowsill, putting his feet back to the floor.

"Don't make me change my mind." He actually fidgeted for a few moments, for once at a loss of a smart remark. The situation just didn't call for one. "It's not as if I had better things to do."

Erwin smiled at him and got up from his chair, walking over to the boy. Due to his size Erwin towered over him, making the haggard boy look up at him. It failed to slip his perception that he didn't back off at all, holding Erwin's gaze evenly. He held out his hand for Levi to take it.

"I'm glad to hear it. I welcome you to the military, then."

There was a little hesitation to the movement but Levi did take his hand, sealing their contract. And Erwin couldn't help but feel delighted about it all. Because his strategy had worked out just the way he had wanted it to, and because he might have preserved the boy's life for the next few years to come – and because he had, if the boy turned out the way he expected him to, gained a great soldier for their fight against the titans.

Erwin let go of his hand and smiled, thinking through how he should proceed further. There were some things that needed to be done even if the night had advanced a lot.

"We need to go see my commander, he's already waiting for news upon you. But before that-"

He was cut off when the boy jumped off the windowsill, glowering at him and clenching his fists.

"You told him? Damn you, you didn't even know I was coming! I'd just-"

Erwin didn't even let him get into his tirade, he raised a hand and returned the favour of cutting his words.

"I merely took precautions for the case of you showing up. Makes it easier to explain why I would want to take a civilian with us when we leave Hermiha in a few days, don't you think?"

He quieted the boy successfully.

"…"

Erwin nodded and continued, the boy would have to cut back on his habit to speak whenever he wanted, especially when dealing with a superior. But that wasn't Erwin's to take care of, he would learn quite a lot about discipline in his military training. His job was to take him there – and maybe prepare him as well as he could.

"But we need to get you tidied up first. Follow me, I'll show you the bathroom."

The boy stared at him when Erwin walked past him, he could feel his eyes on his back as he crossed the room. But he assumed the boy would follow him when he opened the door leading to his private quarters. He had his own bathroom connected to the small room where he slept, one of the few luxuries his position came along with.

The boy had indeed followed him, eying the new room warily when he crossed it. Erwin showed him the sparse bathroom, including a toilet, a sink and a tub. Nothing fancy but it had all the things needed.

Erwin turned to leave Levi alone when he caught the wary look on the boys face, causing to gaze curiously at the boy. Blue eyes stared at the door, than up to Erwin.

"There's no way to lock it."

He frowned a little and couldn't stifle a laugh, amused by the fact that a boy that most likely hadn't seen the insides of a bathroom for a decade would ask for that much privacy. Usually (and Erwin suspected that he had indeed done that because he didn't know any other way to wash when not living in some kind of house (and the boy wasn't as dirty and smelly as he would have been when not having washed for over a decade)) he wouldn't be able to lock anything when he washed in the river that traversed the town.

Keeping his thoughts to himself he just smiled at the boy.

"I usually don't need to. Don't worry, I'll watch the door."

There might have been the tiniest tinge of sarcasm to his voice and the boy caught it, shooting him a nasty glare for it. He was about to slam the bathroom's door into his face when Erwin walked over to the wardrobe, pulling out a stack of clothing and handed it to the stunned boy.

"Here, I hope they're about your size. I didn't know exactly and got them relying on my visual judgement."

This time the boy did slam the door into Erwin's face and he grinned a little to himself when leaving the room. He knew why the boy was so worked up – but he would have to learn to cope with it. With the knowledge that he was here because Erwin wanted him to be. He was here because Erwin had decided that Levi belonged here – and had somehow managed to manipulate the boy into coming here all by himself. He had to be furious… and Erwin was certainly hoping that Levi was going to turn all his pent-up frustration against the titans.

He went back to his desk and pulled Hanji's essay towards him, continuing his lecture of her research. He would wait for the boy to clean up (he was sure that would take a while) and then they would go see Dallis Zacklay.

~*~

Ouf… that was a hard one. 8DDDDD  
They’re both just so talkative… |D  
Next chapter will be coming up soon, I'll just need to finish the last few paragraphs! *gets to work*  
I hope you enjoyed reading!  
<3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fifth chapter already~  
> Some thing are set into motion and there's so much more coming up, ideas flooding my head all the time! XD  
> So sorry for the slow start of the story but as it's going to be a very, very long one I need to go about everything slowly~ be assured that it's going to change soon. ^_~  
> Thanks to those who're sticking with me and believe in me, I love you all! <3

~*~

Dumping a bucket of warm water over his head made him sigh, it felt good to have the warm water run along his skin, down his body. He raised his hands to run his hands over his face, opening his eyes and combing back his black hair. He felt the distinctive urge to fill the tub with steaming hot water and soak in it for some time but knew that he couldn't relax enough to enjoy it. Being restless already he used his hands to squeeze some of the water out of his hair and moved to neatly put away all the things he had used. That done with he walked over to where he had spotted a stack of clean towels and grabbed one.

Not really knowing how to use a bathroom he had figured it out after a while, filled a bucket of water, heated it, taken the bar of soap and started to wash. Sitting down on the stool had made it easier to reach all parts of him and he had been very diligent. He had spent a big amount of time scrubbing the layers of dirt off his skin, washing it from his hair, plucking at the black crud that had settled firmly underneath his fingernails. He had been careful around the newest wound; his feet had been the worst but he managed to clean them to his satisfaction. Neither did he know how much time he had needed nor how much water he had used but the urge to clean himself had overwhelmed him at some point. One of the worst things in living on the streets had always been the feeling of being dirty; it was so much worse than being hungry or lonely.

He toweled himself off, using the towel to rub down his hair a little. Knowing that the thick mane of black hair wouldn't dry for a while he didn't bother trying, folding the towel neatly when he was done and placed it onto the lavatory for now. He turned to the stack of clothing that he had placed on top of the little commode that held the towels – and couldn't help but glare at them, the thoughts he had been keeping at bay finally returning to him. He just couldn't ignore them any longer, not when he slipped into clothing that somebody had bought for him (he was cursing him for his brilliant visual judgement), in a bathroom that had been placed at his disposal, in a military garrison that he always had tiptoed around or stayed far away from, if possible.

He couldn't believe that he really actually was here. Maybe this was all a crazy dream, maybe he was having a fever again and being in a delirium caused by it. But as far as he could judge… this felt very real. The warm, clean clothes felt real, the wonderful aroma of clean soap that was clinging to him smelled real, the tiled bathroom looked real. And he didn't understand anything.

He had absolutely no idea how he had ended up here. Technically he had just walked here, been caught trying to get into the garrison unnoticed and dragged before the fucking corporal of the fucking Scouting Legion. But HOW did that happen…? He was at a complete loss about that. He just couldn't explain how he had gotten himself into his… and WHY.

This damn corporal… the manipulative shitty bastard that he was. He glared at nothing in particular and fastened the belt around his waist before bending down to put the pair of socks on his feet. He had done something to him… he had actually done a lot to him. He had patched him up after having been stabbed by one of those shitheads in that alleyway, he had given him his cloak, he had just stepped by the corpses of four men without saying anything about them, he was apparently covering up the fact that he very well knew who had killed those assholes. And all that being the fucking corporal of the Scouting Legion.

Levi had wanted to stab him so badly the moment he had recognized him for the soldier that he was. A good share of panic had been the main reason but he had felt betrayed – which was absolutely nuts as the feeling of betrayal based on the feeling of trust. To TRUST a man who just came by, witnessed him killing four men and then offered to patch him up, was nuts itself, it was fishy, it was suspicious. But there was just something about Erwin fucking Smith that had made him. Something about the way he talked, the way he acted, inspired this strange feeling in him, a feeling of knowing that this man meant no harm. That he was sincere in everything he was saying – even though he was being one hell of a manipulative shit.

He looked up and caught his own reflection in the mirror, pausing briefly when he did so. It had been some time since he had seen his reflection clearly – which he didn't mind at all, he didn't like looking at himself. Turning away from it he grabbed the pair of shoes that had come with the clothes, the rags that he had been wearing, the bandage and the used towel and left the bathroom after taking a close look around, making sure that he had tidied up and left everything clean. He had cleaned the place where he had washed off after that, not wanting to leave the place soiled.

He had really managed to make him come here he thought sourly when he slipped into the shoes that were just the slightest bit too big for him. Something in his probably very carefully chosen words had made him… he had inspired something in Levi that he couldn't quite place yet, but he had come here all by himself. Not to return this damn cloak, of course. Being his usual self he would have just kept it, laughing about the fact that it had been a soldier giving it to him. But somehow… he hadn't been his usual self for the past two days. He had been thinking; had been turning the man's words over and over in his head, couldn't get them out of his head. Apart from the fact that Erwin Smith had been the first person being nice to him in what felt like an eternity he had deeply impressed Levi, as much as he hated to admit it. He had always thought of the military as huge pricks in uniforms that were making his life even harder while they were eating fine food, sleeping in warm beds and basically doing nothing. He had known about the Scouting Legion but… somehow he hadn't imagined their job to be so… cruel, dangerous and hopeless?

And then he met corporal Erwin Smith of all people, the man who probably was their shining poster boy. His conviction and dedication was… he didn't want to call it admirable because that would reflect his opinion about him. He didn't need any opinions about him. He was the object of pride and sincerity, he knew what he was doing and what he wanted. His actions were not testing, they were calculated and there was not so much of a trace of coincidence to him.

Levi shook his head and straightened up, eying the door leading back into the corporal's office a little warily.

Something Erwin had said to him had intrigued him, had triggered something in him – which had made him come here. And agree to do military training… he could only shake his head to that. He might have gone crazy, eventually. But… somewhere, underneath his mind telling him that he was insane for even considering joining forces with an institution that he had deeply despised for the last 10 years or so, he felt grounded. As if another part of him approved his decision, feeling good about doing something that he considered useful. Erwin Smith had convinced him that it was something useful, maybe even necessary. He was far from Erwin's passionate dedication to free mankind, from dedicating himself to the military in a passionate sacrifice for the greater good – but he understood his dislike for being caged; and he considered somehow finding some kind of purpose in his being alive was worth a shot.

He straightened his shoulder and opened the door, stepping back into Erwin's office. He would see where his new-found will to make changes lead him – if he realized at some point that it wasn't his thing at all and that this unfamiliar urge to do strange things was due to a person who could talk you into about everything he could still go back, right? Being a criminal the Military Police wanted to arrest or being a deserted soldier the Military Police wanted to arrest didn't make that much of a difference.

The blond corporal sat at his desk, the folder with the collected information about the titans in his hands. He had changed at some point, the straps that came with the military's uniform were gone, the white pants replaced by brown ones that looked more comfortable. Blue eyes looked up at him when Levi entered the room and Erwin smiled, placing the folder onto the polished surface in front of him.

"I'm glad to see they fit."

He narrowed his eyes a little and moved closer, seeing the man's eyes looking him up and down.

"We can dispose of these later. That is, if you don't intend to keep them?"

Levi looked down at the rags in his arms and shook his head. Knowing that he couldn't wear them anymore he didn't need them but leaving them on the bathroom floor hadn't been an option, they were dirty and didn't belong there. As well as the towel and the used bandage that either needed to be washed or thrown away, he would ask about that-

"How's the wound? I hope it didn't get inflamed?"

…and they were right on topic. He shook his head again, pulling the bandage from the bundle he was carrying.

"What do I do with this?"

Erwin got up from his chair and walked around his desk, moving to stand in front of Levi and looking at him, still smiling.

"We'll deliver it to the room where the laundry is done, the ladies will take care of it in the morning. Do you need me to bandage your thigh again? It's a rather recent wound, after all."

Levi shook his head again, a little more frantically than he had wanted to. There was no way he would take anything off with people in the room, no matter who it was. It had been bad enough two nights ago but there he didn't really have a choice. He didn't need to feel any more vulnerable than he already did, thank you very much.

"No, it's fine."

Erwin frowned just the slightest bit but his features softened after a second, his lips splitting into another smile. Levi couldn't help but wonder if his smiles were really authentic, he did it way too often. They reached his eyes, though, he didn't fake them, and there certainly were several nuances to it. Levi found them unnerving – and strangely comforting at the same time.

"Just let me know when you need anything, you can have access to the whole medical range."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, that was another thing he found unnerving – and unbearably confusing.

"Your consideration is going to kill you one day."

He was .nice. to be the Scouting Legion's corporal. That man really sent his soldiers out to meet the titans, knowing they most likely wouldn't return? Levi couldn't imagine him doing that. But… there had to be something about him, he wouldn't be corporal it there wasn't. Levi was very curious about what he was like when actually going outside, leading his men to fight the titans. Concluding from what Erwin had said he went outside there, too, fought alongside his soldiers and risked dying every time they left the safety of the walls.

The blond man still smiled but Levi noticed that it had gotten a little less bright. He was good at reading people, watching their reactions and body language closely. It was part of why he had survived for so long.

"Maybe. But my lacking consideration might kill you if you take chances on getting blood poisoning too lightly and I'd rather that didn't happen."

He looked at the tall man, seeing that he was very serious about the whole matter. It confused him to no end, he wasn't used to be worried about. Levi didn't know if he liked the feelings it caused in him or not and as long as he didn't know he was suspicious about it all. As little as he understood himself at the moment he had absolutely no clue about Erwin Smith's intentions. Maybe that was what made him uncomfortable.

He finally chose to roll his eyes again but nodded, averting his eyes.

"It's fine. And I'll tell you when it stops being fine."

When he looked back up at the corporal he found him smiling, brighter again. Of course, he had given in in a way… Erwin Smith liked when he got what he wanted he thought while clenching his jaw a little.

"Good. We'll go see Dallis Zacklay now, that's my commander. I'm sure he'll still be up and he asked me to report to him as soon as I heard from you, so we'll fill him in on the newest events."

Something in his stomach twisted when he heard that he would be lead before another high-up of the military but he merely nodded. He had long discarded the thought of all this being a trap – it wouldn't make sense. Erwin Smith probably could have killed him two nights ago, he could have taken him to the Military Police to have him arrested. He simply didn't need to manipulate him into coming here on his free will if he wanted to hurt him/hand him over/whatever, he sure had better things to do than playing theater like that. So he took that seeing the commander was part of the protocol – if there was a protocol for criminals wanting to join the military just like that. He doubted it.

"Let's go, then."

Erwin motioned for Levi to follow him and he did so, falling in step behind the blond man. They walked through the building in silence, not meeting anyone. Most of the soldiers were sleeping, Levi assumed. He knew that the Scouting Legion party was here for just a few days so he took it that they had business to do around here. They weren't alert so two guards being around the entrance of the building was enough.

They took care of the things Levi was carrying, disposed of everything in a room that pleasantly smelled of soap. Then they walked on, went up a few stairs and passed another few doors before Erwin stopped in front of one of them, turning to face Levi. He looked up into the corporal's blue eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest in a defensive gesture, he didn't even think about it. But it made Erwin smile reassuringly and he was almost tempted to roll his eyes again.

"It's fine, this is just a formality."

He did roll his eyes at that.

"I'm not afraid of this. Let's just get it over with."

He wasn't. He was uncomfortable with the thought of seeing any more soldiers that night, especially the ones that were even higher ranked than Erwin and could cause him nasty trouble.

The blond man looked at him for a while and then nodded, turned to knock at his commander's door. Despite his words his heart leapt a little when he heard a deep voice say 'Come in, Erwin.' and the corporal opened the door. He motioned for Levi to follow him when he entered and he did so, bracing himself.

The room looked a lot like the room Erwin used as his office, it was as scarce and empty as the other one, the only furniture were a cupboard, a few chairs and a huge wooden desk. The commander was seated on a chair behind the desk, looking up from his work when Erwin and Levi entered the room. Levi thought he looked quite old, his hair was graying and his features lined. He was much older than Erwin was, that was for sure. Somehow Levi had imagined the man to… be a lot like Erwin? Tall, broad, muscular, energetic-looking? He knew that appearances were deceiving, he was the role-model for that, but somehow seeing the man calmed his nerves a little.

When the door closed behind him the sound had something terminal about it and he fought down the rising discomfort. Erwin moved to stand next to him, performing a gesture of salute.

"I apologize for bothering you in the middle of the night, Dallis, but I wanted to fill you in as promptly as possible."

Dallis Zacklay removed his reading glasses and his eyes were looking Levi up and down before he moved his gaze to Erwin, cocking his head to the side.

"He's even scrawnier than I had imagined him. And you're really sure this lad's capable of-"

His hand twitched for the knife that he had hidden underneath the belt he was wearing and his eyes narrowed, feeling his temper wear awfully short that night. "I'll give you a demonstration of what I'm capable of right here and now…" He muttered under his breath and his hand had almost reached his knife when he felt Erwin's hand settle on his shoulder, squeezing tightly. The blond man spoke up a second later, his voice as neutral as it mostly was when he was talking about business.

"He was saying that he'll do his best to prove himself."

Levi seethed at him and roughly shoved the large hand off his shoulder when he heard the commander chuckle. His eyes flickered from Erwin to the man sitting behind his desk, watching them.

"And he's just as nasty and insolent as I've pictured him."

He really reached for his knife this time and Erwin interfered again, stepping behind him and grabbing both of his shoulders this time to keep him from dashing over to Dallis Zacklay. He heard a muttered 'Relax.' from the corporal, about to stab Erwin first and then going to take his anger and frustration out on the commander when Zacklay spoke up.

"I've no idea what you see in him, Erwin, but I've already given you my assent and I won't take it back. Even though I hope that you know what you're doing… if you fail this might have a negative aftermath and be a blow to your reputation. He'd be all your responsibility, don't forget that. Are you really sure this is worth it?"

Levi stilled a little when he heard the commander's words, pointing out something that he hadn't thought of yet. The effects Erwin's doing had on the man himself.

The corporal's grip tightened a little but when he spoke his voice was calm, apparently unaffected by the severe words.

"It might be. I have already decided to take my chances, Dallis."

The commander looked at Erwin for another couple of seconds and then he nodded.

"Very well." He turned to Levi who was listening to their conversation intensely, trying to get a grip about what was going on. He had the feeling that there was more to the situation than Erwin had let on, to the complications behind it. "As for you, lad." Levi glared at him but refrained from trying to get his knife again. The commander's eyes were serious, his voice grave when he spoke up again. "I hope you seize this opportunity, and hold on to it as tightly as you can. It's the only chance you have – and your thankfulness towards corporal Erwin should be endless. Don't be a disappointment." He paused here to make sure that Levi was still listening. He was. "If you fail to live up to our expectations you'll be handed over to the Military Police without hesitation. You're still a criminal, your being spared condemnation would solely be generated by good conduct."

At his last words Levi went rigid and the corporal tightened his hands again, making sure Levi didn't go anywhere.

"If you don't mind I'd like to excuse us, Dallis. It's been a long day."

The commander nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"I think I've seen enough. Goodnight, Erwin. I just hope he won't make you fall."

"Goodnight, Dallis."

Levi was shuffled out of the room and he wrestled himself free the moment he was outside in the corridor. Erwin shut the door behind them and raked a hand through his hair, looking at Levi. "Didn't that proceed smoothly." Not liking the sarcasm in his voice Levi was about to explode into his face when Erwin held up his hand.

"In my office. I don't want to wake the whole garrison."

He turned and walked down the hall and Levi really considered stabbing him in his back. Then he considered leaving the garrison as quickly as he could. Then he considered stabbing Erwin in the back and THEN leaving the garrison as quickly as he could. In the end he decided that he could as well take his frustration out on Erwin and give him a piece of his mind, stab him afterwards and get the hell out of here – and set to follow the man back to his office.

The moment they were both inside and the door shut behind them he did explode into Erwin's face.

"What the fuck was that about? What was that about the damned Military Police?! How dare the shithead insult me I swear I'll fucking kill that bastard the next time I see him I-"

"Would you calm down? I won't speak to you until you start using your brain again."

He seethed at the blond man and couldn't restrain from darting over to him, slamming into him with full force. He could tell Erwin hadn't expected that as the man gasped and stumbled backwards. Levi dashed to the side and kicked the corporal's legs, avoiding the hands reaching for him. He knew that he didn't stand any chance against Erwin's strength, he had to overpower him otherwise – and he was certainly more agile. The moment Erwin got a hand on him it was over – he had to get him to the floor first.

But that was easier said than done as he could tell that Erwin was a skilled fighter – he could also tell that usually his targets were much bigger and slower than Levi was. It came all down to dodging hands and feet, kicking and hitting where he could aim at and then getting the hell away from him again to return within seconds. He used his advantage in speed and manoeuverability and they tumbled through the office, never taking their eyes off the other. Levi could see the concentration and frustration in Erwin's eyes and he was sure he looked about the same, neither of them willing to back down. Both of them were panting and Levi heard the blood rush through his veins, his heart beating fast against his ribcage.

It was when Levi was forced to jump back in order to avoid Erwin that he crashed into the man's desk, hitting his thigh against the hard wood which made him stumble and gasp in pain. It was just fractions of a second that he needed to regain his balance but it was enough for Erwin to launch himself against him, grabbing him. He kicked and lashed out at him, scratched and bit where he could reach the other but that didn't help him. He was spun around and pushed forward and found himself slammed against the wall behind Erwin's desk. He struggled against the hands holding his arms behind his back, using leverage to limit Levi's movement to a minimum. He struggled anyway, snarling viciously at Erwin and kicking backwards to make him release him. But Erwin held him there firmly, pushed him roughly against the wall when he landed a blow to one the man's shins. He moved closer and used his body to trap him even more against the wall, making it almost impossible to move.

"Stop struggling, NOW."

He heard suppressed anger in the other's voice, it was trembling slightly from it. An unpleasant feeling of discomfort crept up his spine when feeling the other's body so close, his breath on his neck and cheek, mixing into the rage and frustration he was feeling. He kept struggling, more desperately than before even, his heart beating so loud and fast that he was sure Erwin heard it, too.

"Let GO!"

The blond man shoved at him again, moving his arms in an angle that made him cry out in pain, quickly biting his lips to stifle it. That bastard, he was so gonna regret this. He would KILL him, no matter-

"I won't until you calm down. I refuse to be attacked again."

He should have gone for his knife, he just should have stabbed him when he had been able to, the fuckhead. The hell he would calm down, he'd fight until he got his hands on the bastard and-

"Maybe it's good we're having this right now, I think you don't understand the range of this whole thing."

Levi snarled at him, trying to tear his arms out of his grip even though he risked having them dislocated. He didn't care, he just wanted to get away from him.

"The fuck I don't understand!"

He was roughly pushed against the wall for the third time and he heard the corporal actually swear under his breath, realizing that the man was very close to losing his temper. He almost wanted to laugh, there Smith's great composure went down the drain. He actually seemed to be able to feel anger instead of the eternal smiling calmness, Levi thought to himself. Maybe he would finally show his true self now instead of hiding behind his polite façade.

The man's voice was dangerously low when he spoke up again, sending chills down his spine which did nothing to calm Levi.

"This is not a playground. Every decision that you make has its consequences. This is not the street where you can live and act just by your own rules."

Levi wanted to kick him, wanted to hit him straight in the face for his audacity. He hissed and snarled and struggled even though it did nothing to free him, it just caused him pain. The corporal's strong hands held him in a way that he was barely able to move and it was making him furious, scared even as he didn't know what to expect. It all clouded his thoughts, the pressure of the moment weighing him down.

"Fuck you then, all of you assholes! I won't have this shit!"

The corporal was silent for a while and Levi twisted his head around to see what he was doing, which wasn't much. He looked at Levi with almost thoughtful eyes – Levi found it frustrating that nothing of his anger was to be seen in his eyes. They were calm, contemplating even, and when he spoke up so was his voice.

"Do you really want to blow this? This might indeed be the only chance you get for changing your life."

It was unnerving and it made Levi even more furious, he tried tearing at his arms again. But the calm words somehow found their way into his mind, diving into his clouded thoughts that were so full of rage and frustration and fear that he could barely see straight. He shook his head, not willing to let the man manipulate him any further. He knew Erwin was doing it again, addressing a part in him that was willing to listen and he hated him for it.

"But not like this! I won't be handed over to the fucking MP no matter what, do you really think I'll LET you?! I don't care who the fuck he is, he has no right to say-"

The man cut right into his words with his calm voice. There was a seriousness about it that made Levi listen, even though he gritted his teeth and hissed at the corporal.

"To say WHAT? To say you're scrawny, vicious and insolent? He does, as it's true. To say that he'll hand you over to the Military Police if you don't behave accordingly? He does have the right, you're a criminal. You killed people." He snarled at the taller man when hearing those words but Erwin didn't let him mouth any of his thoughts. "I know you didn't do it for fun and I can imagine your life pretty much sucked so far."

He was surprised about his choice of words, he hadn't heard the posh bastard use such language up to that point. Seething at him Levi struggled again but the more he struggled the more strength left him, making him more aware of the pain that was shooting up his arms every time he moved, the overall oppressive feeling of being forced against the wall. Frustration and a sense of defeat was tuning his anger down, making him spit his words at Erwin with a distinctive touch of suppressed despair.

"You have no fucking idea you son of a bitch."

Erwin looked at him, not tightening his grip again. Levi didn't want to see him anymore and averted his eyes, no longer feeling the urge to watch him because he sensed that he other wasn't doing this to injure him or cause him any kind of pain.

The corporal's grip at his arms slightly loosened which gave his arms a little relief but wasn't enough to make him try to free himself again.

He heard the other's voice speak up again, calm as always. But there was something else, a soft touch to it that made Levi listen carefully.

"Why are you so intent on fucking this up, then? It's your chance to prove to everybody what you're capable of, without having to fear that they hunt you down for it. It's your chance to change things for you."

He stared at the wall, thinking about the words and part of him was screaming at him that this man… was right. He wanted a different life – but the other part in him, the one that was so stubborn and intent on surviving and mistrusting anybody and anything still screamed NO. He shook his head, willing those thoughts away. He was confused, emotions were twirling so high inside of him that he was afraid of being swamped by them.

It all came down to what he wanted, he realized. It was still his choice. If he wanted to take this chance, no matter what it came along with, with the submission to a system and superiors and rules – or if he wanted to go back to the streets, living by his own rules and running from the Military Police until he either died or they eventually caught him.

Looking at it that way… he didn't need long to make a decision. He wasn't happy with it because neither option really pleased him but he was choosing the lesser evil.

He slowly, and it afforded a lot of will-power, relaxed between the corporal's body and the wall, showing him without words that he had thought about it. He knew Erwin would understand his conclusion, the observant manipulative bastard that he was. And he did, his grip slowly loosened and Levi suppressed a relieved sigh when he was able to slump his shoulders and the throbbing pain dulled a bit.

Erwin released him eventually, stepping back and giving him space, saying: "Just stop struggling."

Levi turned around and pressed his back against the cold wall, noticing the heat that had been radiating off the corporal's body only now that it was no longer there. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, desperately trying to maintain his composure on the outside while he was failing completely on the inside. Pressing his arms close to his body he knew that this wasn't a gesture of stubbornness, it was one of defense.

The corporal stood a few steps away from him, keeping his distance now that Levi was calm. Blue eyes were looking at him, calm and honest as always. Even though it unnerved him to no end he noted that the calmer Erwin was he was, too.

"And stop fighting me. I think what happened to you is very unfortunate but I had nothing to do with this. Neither did Dallis Zacklay or any other member of the Recon Corps. I'm not the right person to take your frustration and insecurities out on."

Levi glared at him for the last comment but even though he tried to deny it he knew Erwin was right. He hated to be lectured but there was nothing he could say to object him.

He averted his eyes, fighting down the rising feeling of guilt. He really didn't need that feeling to mix into the rest, it made everything even more complicated. 'Your thankfulness towards corporal Erwin should be endless. Don't be a disappointment.' The Commander's word were echoing in his head and as if Erwin had heard them as well he chose this moment to speak up again, bending down to pick up some files that had slid off the desk when Levi had crashed into it.

"He does have a point, though. It's not only yourself who your decisions will have consequences for. Which is not why I'm asking you to be a little more prudent about the way you act, this is absolutely not about me. I want you to think before you act for your own sake. Just bear in mind that everything you do falls back to me, too, in one way or another."

He looked at Levi and leaned back against the desk, placing his palms on the wooden surface on either side of his body. Levi held his gaze for a moment and then averted his eyes, even though there was nothing accusing to the way he spoke and looked at him he couldn't look at him and hated himself for it. He shouldn't be feeling what he was feeling but he couldn't help it.

"About that Military Police thing: You won't be handed over as long as you function, I'll make sure of that. Trust me on this, Levi. And I'm sure you will do great."

He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked back up at Erwin, those honest cerulean eyes were still gazing at him. Levi was at a loss of what to say; there was so much going on in his head, so many thoughts and questions making his head spin. He just knew that in a very twisted way he did trust Erwin Smith; he believed in his words. He just wasn't used to feeling this way.

The only thing he could muster up was a nod – and that seemed to suffice the corporal. His lips split into a slight smile and this time Levi was almost relieved to see it.

"Good."

The only affirmation he got, but that was enough for Levi.

The corporal looked around the office and caught a glimpse of the clock which made his eyes widen.

"Gods, it's late… I think we should catch some sleep, it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Sleep… the very last thing he felt at that moment was tiredness. He knew that he should be exhausted but his senses were so alert that he couldn't imagine falling asleep soon. He followed the corporal nevertheless when Erwin motioned for him to do that, arms still pressed against his body. A strange numbness had settled over him, as if the outburst of so many emotions in the last few minutes had accumulated in feeling none of them anymore. In a way he welcomed that feeling, it was way better than the twirling of emotions that he couldn't make a sense of. But it left him cold in a way, unable to process anything of what he should be feeling.

He followed Erwin to the man's bedroom, his face firmly set into the neutral, bored look he usually gave everyone and everything. As much as there was going on in his mind nothing of it showed on his face.

He chose to stand in the doorframe and watched Erwin walk over to the large wardrobe, pulling out a few blankets and a pillow. Watching him walk over to the vacant one of the two beds that were in the room it finally dawned to Levi that he was supposed to sleep here. He pointed it out to the corporal, making sure.

"So… we both sleep here?"

Erwin placed the blankets and the pillow on the bed and turned to look at Levi, inclining his head.

"I think that's least complicated. I don't know which rooms are vacant, if there are any, and you already know where the bathroom is."

Levi felt discomfort creep up his spine when he thought about sleeping in this room, let alone in this building. He wasn't used to any of this.

"Aren't you afraid that I'm going to stab you in the middle of the night?"

His voice was steady, just as he expected it to be. He had never been allowed to show emotions, the moment you let the enemy know that you were afraid it was over. If he was good at something then it was just this, seeming way more confident and calmer than he actually was.

Erwin frowned a little but smiled doing it, shrugging his shoulders.

"I think if you really intended to stab me in the middle of the night it wouldn't matter where you sleep, you'd find me anyway. I spare you the trouble of searching for me, this way."

His pleasant sarcasm was something he would probably never get used to… but at least the corporal didn't seem to be still angry. Even though Levi was sure that the man was as good at hiding his real emotions as Levi was, he was just doing it differently.

"That's too kind."

The blond man's lips twitched and he went over to his wardrobe again.

"Anytime."

He pulled out another stack of clothing that he held out to Levi.

"Here, that's more comfortable to sleep in."

He stared at him, unable to believe that he had bought even more stuff for him. Not being in a mood to pick another fight over the fact that Erwin couldn't have known that he was coming but HAD somehow, having been so sure that he had already bought clothes for Levi because he was a manipulative bastard, he just accepted them. Erwin looked at him and then nodded in the bathroom's direction.

"You go first."

Levi hesitated a moment but slipped out of his shoes and went to the bathroom eventually, closing the door behind him. He leaned against the heavy wood and closed his eyes, rubbing his face with his palms. He needed to calm down, now. The whole situation seemed to be crushing him, it was a lot to take in at a time. The thought of sleeping caged inside a room, and sharing that space with another person, was almost unthinkable. He wasn't used to any of this – it was a huge change for him and he was sure that only was the tip of the iceberg, there was so much more coming up.

He took a deep breath, pushed away from the door and moved over to the opposite wall, as far away from the door as he possible could, and hurriedly changed into the clothes Erwin had just given him. He felt exposed, constricted, knowing that there was someone else on the other side of the door who could barge in any time. While he was rather sure that the man wouldn't do that because he had no reason to he still felt threatened and quickly put on the new clothes, feeling relieved when he was ready.

There was not much he could, or would, do otherwise so he folded the other clothes and left the bathroom with them.

The blond man was sitting on the edge of his mattress and looked up at him when Levi entered, a mug nursed in his hands. He had taken off his shirt, undershirt, shoes and socks, it was all lying in a messy heap next to his bed. Pressing the folded clothes a little tighter to his chest he went over to the bed he was supposed to sleep in and climbed onto it, pushing back until his back met the wall without taking his eyes off the corporal. Blues eyes looked right back at him and Erwin smiled before getting up, walking over to the bathroom and disappearing in it.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, taking a deep breath to calm himself before getting up and placing the folded clothes on a chair that was next to the bed. After a moment of hesitation he stole a sip of water from the mug that Erwin had placed on a small table that was set in front of the window before returning to the bed. He crawled onto it and pushed his sheathed knife underneath the pillow – he felt naked without having it in reach. He then reached for the blankets, wrapped himself in them and huddled into the corner that the bed, standing next to the wardrobe, created.

It didn't take Erwin long to reappear and the man went back to his bed, extinguishing the torch that had lit the small room. As he didn't draw the curtains closed there were pale moon rays shining in through the window and allowed Levi to watch him lie down on his bed, sliding beneath the covers and stretching underneath them. Feeling his body relax slowly he lay down as well, unable to stop watching the other person. He knew Erwin wouldn't get up, come over and hurt him – it was just impossible to turn off his instincts that made him be alert, suspicious. He hadn't trusted anybody for years, had never even considered sleeping inside of a building because it made him feel caged; he would rather be outside in the cold, on a roof or a tree to lessen the chances of somebody going to kill him in his sleep. He had no idea when he had slept long and deep for the last time, probably never in the last seven years. Being in this bed, having clean, slightly scratchy blankets wrapped around him, warming him, felt great, just as cleaning himself with warm water and soap had felt great earlier – those were just things he wasn't used to. He wasn't used to having rules, having to obey and accept other people's decisions, to having people around him in the first place. All of this threw him completely off-balance – and scared him shitless, even though he hated to admit it. Turning his whole life upside-down was a good thing as his life was a crappy mess – it just came with the price of losing everything he knew, everything he had been certain about. And that was hard, he didn't know what was going to happen and what people expected from him.

But he was certain about one thing: he had misjudged Erwin a little earlier. He was sure that this man could lead his men to battle – he had seen a new side of him, not the attentive and caring side he had seen and mocked before. Not that he wanted to add cold-hearted, brutal, ruthless or anything like that to his list of attributes describing Erwin but he HAD seen a dominant, aggressive, obstinate side of him that had somehow surprised him. And made his respect for this man rise by a good portion.

"Did I… hurt you earlier?"

He jumped a little when he heard the corporal's voice, the man hadn't moved at all before deciding to speak up. Levi could vaguely see him face the ceiling and he huddled closer to the wall, pulling the blankets around him like a cocoon. He actually sounded a little rueful, his voice was very quiet and Levi did roll his eyes even though his words somehow relieved him, touched him in a way. When he spoke, his voice was soft, equally calm and quiet.

"No, it's fine."

He heard him breathe, the quietness of a room almost stunning to him. It was never quiet outside, there were always noises – animals rustling through trash, people walking around, talking, screaming, the wind moving the tree's branches, the sounds of the river. He never remembered being anywhere this quiet.

"I wasn't going to, I just… needed a way to get you to listen and-"

He felt his lips twitch a little, a very unusual feeling as he never really had a reason to smile – but here in the dark, quiet room, where no one would witness it, he felt the urge to smile a little to himself.

"Your consideration really is awful."

He heard the other laugh softly and Erwin turned onto his side, his back facing Levi.

"Just do your best, hard work is always appreciated. You'll do great, I'm sure."

"You're repeating yourself."

He chuckled again and pulled his blankets higher, covering his shoulders.

"So you really did listen." He paused a few seconds to see if Levi would say something to that, but he didn't. He had listened and Erwin knew it perfectly well. "Goodnight, Levi."

He said the words back to him, quietly, and drew his legs up to his chest, curling into a ball. Still watching the other's silhouette he listened to him breathe, sliding his hand underneath the pillow to brush his fingertips against the metal of his knife. The corporal's breathing even out, becoming deep and regular and Levi was rather certain that he fell asleep within minutes – a state that he was very far away from. But he found that the longer he listened to his steady breathing the more his muscles relaxed and he tried closing his eyes – only to feel them fly open at the first rustle of cloth he perceived. The corporal had moved, he had turned onto his stomach in his sleep. Levi took a deep breath and closed his eyes again, trying to tell himself that everything was fine, that he could go to sleep without fearing that somebody might come to hurt him – when Erwin exhaled deeply which made his eyes fly open again. He wanted to groan in frustration but he was afraid to wake the other so he settled for staring at his broad back. One of his hands came up and fingers curled in his dark hair. It was a habit he had adopted long time ago, knowing it somehow calmed him a little when he had trouble falling asleep, when feeling unbearably miserable in general. It didn't do much for him this night, though – he would have to wait for exhaustion to make him pass out.

He had no idea for how long he had been lying there, shifting around on the hard mattress in a way that he was always able to keep an eye on the second bed in the room and trying to go to sleep, when it started. It started out lightly, a building pressure in his middle that got completely unbearable within minutes. He stifled a whimper and apprehensively touched his stomach, crossed his arms in front of it and pressed them against his torso. He had never, in his whole life, felt so sick before. And his stomach didn't like the pressure he applied, not at all. It just took another second until he jerked up, scrambled out of the bed and rushed into the bathroom. He fell to his knees in front of the toilet and threw up violently, feeling tears stinging in the corners of his eyes when his stomach convulsed repeatedly. Digging his fingers into the edge of the toilet he waited for the next wave, feeling that there was more to come.

~*~ 

Oh god… Levi is way harder to write than Irvin. 8DDDD The little brat doesn’t only give Erwin a hard time, me as well. XD  
Hope you enjoyed reading anway!  
Next chapter will be up in a few days!  
<3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all people who write me comments and just everybody who reads this story! I really appreciate that and I’m happy about the attention this story is getting! I love you all!  
> There’s a lot more coming up, I’ll do my best to update as fast as I can!  
> Be patient with those two! They still have a very loooong way to go! XDDDD

~*~

He didn't really know what woke him up but when he opened his eyes he knew that it was too early. Usually the first sunrays woke him – and it was still very dark outside. He also didn't feel reposed at all – which he hadn't expected since he knew that between his going to bed and morning only were a few hours of sleep. Which had just been interrupted even earlier than he had liked.

Sighing he decided to just turn around and go back to sleep for a little longer – when he heard a very ugly noise that came from somewhere behind his back. It made him sit up, turning his head in the direction of the noise when he heard it again, clearly coming from his bathroom. He blinked, throwing a glance over to the second bed in the room where he saw tangled blankets and nothing else – and when his still befuddled brain finally put two and two together he darted out of his bed and into the bathroom. The pale moon rays shining into the room made it easy to make out Levi's silhouette in front of the toilet, hunched on the floor and obviously the source of the ugly noises that were so much louder now that Erwin was in the same room. Also considering his position and the smell that hung in the air made it quite easy to understand what the boy was doing here. He was being really, really sick.

"Levi…"

The boy's head shot up when he heard Erwin's voice and dark blue eyes stared at him, but not for long. Another wave of nausea seemed to crash down on him and he threw up again, his whole body convulsing. He heard him whimper and breathe harshly, his hands gripping the edge of the toilet tightly.

Erwin turned around and went back to fetch the mug from the little table by the window, filled it with water from the jug on his nightstand and returned to the bathroom. He cautiously crouched down and placed the mug on the floor next to him, seeing the boy look in his direction warily before bending over the toilet again, retching. Erwin stretched out his hand and gently put it onto the boy's back, feeling him flinch violently underneath his touch. The boy's body tensed up and Erwin already expected him to crawl away but another wave of nausea kept him rooted to where he was, he threw up again. Erwin, rather immune to the acid smell of it as he had smelled things way worse, kept his hand where it was und gently rubbed up and down the boy's back. He had found that comforting when he had been sick as a child and he tried it with Levi, knowing that he boy needed to relax and to breathe. Tensing and panting only made it worse.

The boy clung to the edge of the toilet, made a weak attempt to shrug Erwin's hand off but instantly started retching again so he stilled. Erwin looked at him, still gently rubbing his back and felt the muscles underneath his hand unclench a little more with each passing second.

"That's good, relax… and breathe. Is it over?"

The boy shot him a weak glare and shook his head very slightly, afraid to cause another wave of nausea, but tried breathing calmly. Which only made him be sick again, Erwin supposed that it was the smell.

"Wait."

He got up from the floor and used the bucket to get a little water from the pump they used to get water from the tanks stored underneath the building up into the rooms. With the bucket in his arms he went back to Levi and bend over him to pull a string that made the toilet's ground open, pouring the water in to flush the former content of Levi's stomach down the drain. Setting the bucket aside he let go of the string and sat down next to Levi again, looking at the boy.

"Better?"

The boy hesitantly nodded, still clutching the edge of the toilet. But he took a few deep breaths and with the smell mostly gone it didn't cause him to throw up right again. Erwin extended a hand and put it back onto the boy's back, resuming the task he had discarded a few minutes ago. Levi looked at him and tensed a little but when Erwin just continued the rubbing motion he relaxed soon, bending over the toilet again. He didn't let go yet, it seemed as if his stomach was still unsteady.

"I told you you were going to be sick… your stomach just couldn't handle all of it."

There was another glare shot in his direction and the boy opened his mouth to say something but instead he shuddered and bent over the toilet, violently throwing up again. Erwin doubted that there would be anything left in his stomach by now and the only thing coming up was gastric acid, which, he knew, burnt like hell. The boy was panting and Erwin did feel sympathy for him even tough Levi had basically done this to himself. But who could blame him, Erwin was sure that he would have done exactly the same in the boy's place.

They sat there in silence for a while, Levi clutching the edge of the toilet and Erwin gently rubbing his back. He retched once in a while but finally he had nothing left that he could throw up. It took a little time until he slowly unclawed his fingers from the wood, lifting his head. Erwin's hand stilled and he looked at the boy.

"Do you feel better?"

Levi hesitantly nodded and Erwin moved his hand away from his back, reaching for the mug instead and eased it into the boy's hands.

"Here, drink a little water."

Levi accepted the mug and took a sip, moved the water around in his mouth and spat it into the toilet. He repeated the action a few times before actually drinking a little water, waiting a while after that as if to see whether that would make him throw up again or not. But apparently it didn't, his stomach seemed to have steadied a little. Thank god… as far as Erwin knew such reactions were acute and violent but were over as soon as the cause for the convulsion was out of the system. Which it was now, in Levi's case. He should be fine… and Erwin needed to think about what to feed to the boy. They would have to build up his stomach slowly and carefully – but that could wait until morning. What they needed right now was get back into bed and catch another few hours of sleep.

He looked at Levi and took the empty mug from his hands, rocking back onto his heels.

"Feeling up to getting back into bed?"

The boy shot him another nasty glance, Erwin supposed it was for good measure, and hoisted himself off the ground. He seemed a little unsteady and Erwin got up as well, eying the other skeptically. Knowing that trying to help him back to bed would only end in the other battering his hands off, they had already had that two nights ago, Erwin nodded at him, repeated the action of flushing away what had been in the toilet and walked out of the room then, placing the mug where he had taken it from and sat down on his bed. He waited for the boy to return to the room as well and Levi did a few seconds later, thudding back to his bed and crawling underneath his blankets. Erwin did the same, watching the boy huddle into his blankets for a second before he turned his head to face the ceiling, closing his eyes. The exhaustion washed right through him and he almost missed the boy speaking up, his voice very soft.

"…thank you…"

That was very surprising and Erwin couldn't help but smile in the darkness, turning over onto his side.

"Anytime, Levi."

They boy fell silent after that and Erwin just gave in to his fatigue, being fast asleep only seconds later.

~*~

When his stomach rumbled he clenched his jaw, hugging himself around the stomach tentatively. He really didn't want to be sick again… but the nauseous feeling of before failed to reappear, he just felt dull in general. He was exhausted, this had drained the last energy from his body – and he still couldn't sleep. It was still his head keeping him awake, now his thoughts mainly wrapped themselves around the man whose back he was staring at. Who had just spent like an hour with him in the bathroom, comforting him while he was being sick to his stomach.

Levi pulled the blankets more tightly around him, huddling into the warmth he had created inside of his cocoon. He had been scared when the man had touched him so suddenly, bare-chested and muscular and over-powering as he was. But his body had decided that he still wasn't a threat, had relaxed. Because… it HAD felt comforting to have his back rubbed like that. Which confused the hell out of him as he had never enjoyed someone else's touch – he couldn't recall anyone wanting to touch him in a comforting way for the past seven years, though. He shivered and felt the need to feel for his knife again, making sure it was still there. Which it was.

Staring at the man's broad back he couldn't help but frown, chewing on his lip. He just couldn't figure him out. Why was he doing all of this…? Being sickingly nice to him, looking after him, GETTING HIM HERE in the first place. It didn't make any sense to him… and he knew that he would have to ask the man. It was driving him crazy. He didn't seem to want anything back in return, he had just asked for his trust. Which he had, apparently. He was still here. In the same room with him and he hadn't killed him. Didn't intend to kill him, either. He had done a great job manipulating Levi, he thought darkly to himself.

He tried closing his eyes but found that he just couldn't keep them shut. Suppressing a frustrated growl he sat up, rubbing his face. He just didn't feel calm enough to fall asleep. Still listening to each and every sound he just couldn't let go, he felt exposed and vulnerable. This had nothing to do with Erwin Smith's presence – it was the fact that he wouldn't have time to hide or escape through the window if somebody just barged in, he would be caught within a second. That was what haunted him and he knew that it wouldn't let him go for a while, until he had adjusted to being inside at night.

His eyes wandered through the room and finally fixed on the high, broad wardrobe. It was massive and it almost reached the ceiling, creating an alcove between the wood and the stone. Levi blinked and didn't hesitate a second, grabbed his blankets and the knife and stood next to the wardrobe. With impressively little noise, without much strain and only a little use of his knife he scaled the wardrobe, crawling back until he met the wall. Lying down and pulling the blankets around him he overlooked the room and found this way better. It wasn't as comfortable as the mattress but it rendered him out of reach for most people who weren't giants like Erwin Smith, he wouldn't be seen at the first glance thrown into the room, and he could see the most part of the room. That was WAY better. He could feel his alert senses dim a little immediately and when he huddled closer to the wall, curling up into a tight ball, he was sure that he could fall asleep here. Giving closing his eyes a shot he took a few deep breaths, feeling rather safe where he was. It still wasn't ideal, but it had never really been ideal.

It didn't need him long to fall asleep, curled up on top of the wardrobe, finally knocked out by his exhaustion. The knife clutched tightly in his right hand he lost consciousness, finally drowning in blissful darkness.

~*~

When he slowly woke up he felt the pale rays of the autumn's sun caress his face, confirming that it was indeed morning this time. Grumbling softly he raised a hand and rubbed his eyes, slowly opening them. Rolling onto his back he decided to stay in bed for another couple of minutes, taking his time to wake properly.

His slumber hadn't been interrupted again so he assumed that the black-haired boy had been fine after the incident in the bathroom. He would go talk to the ladies in the kitchen as soon as possible, making them prepare something light and edible for Levi. Military kitchen mostly consisted of nutrient food that gave the soldiers lots of energy and kept them fed for a while, and that was impossible for Levi to handle. He needed light soup, a little bread, maybe a few vegetables, meat, fish, milk, eggs. While knowing that he wouldn't get any of that during military training he could make sure Levi ate properly while he was with him and he would do just that.

Turning his head in the direction of the boy's bed he expected him to be still fast asleep – and frowned when he found the bed completely empty. The blankets were gone and so was the boy, the only remaining thing was the pillow. Erwin sat up, looking around the room in search for the boy and almost felt the urge to jump out of bed to start looking for Levi immediately – when he caught sight of the corner of a blanket that was hanging down from the wardrobe. His frown deepened and he did get up, standing on his toes – and really found the boy on the wardrobe. Curled into a tight ball with the blankets wrapped around his slim body, fast asleep. Erwin stared at him for a few seconds, wondering why he had chosen to sleep up there – and only found one solution to the riddle: he had fled to the only place where he couldn't be reached easily. Even Erwin, being quite tall, would have to climb onto Levi's bed to be able to touch him.

Shaking his head lightly he went over to the wardrobe, silently opened its doors and fetched himself a shirt to shrug into. Slipping into socks and shoes he decided to let Levi sleep a little longer; the boy was probably even more exhausted than Erwin was.

He left the room after a quick trip to the bathroom to make himself look presentable and made a little tour, dressed casually. He wanted to wash before getting into his uniform and he wanted to take care of a few things even before that.

He went to the kitchen and talked to the ladies who were busily preparing the soldiers' breakfast, explaining briefly that he had a boy with him who needed some special nourishment, and they eagerly assured him that they would whip something up. They only begrudgingly released him but not without giving him a slice of freshly baked sweet bread on which he chewed while heading to the garrison's entrance to see the guards there. They greeted him cheerfully and he gave them some instructions, as to letting Levi leave and enter as he pleased. He was sure that the boy would spend the day somewhere outside, being inside all day would only bore him. But he wanted to give him the possibility to return whenever he wanted, independent on Erwin's being here or not.

After a quick check-up in the stable to see if they had a suitable horse for Levi and to feed a few carrots to his stallion Flakes he returned to his room, entering it quietly. He confirmed with a curious glance that the boy was still asleep on top of the wardrobe, and got his things together to go wash in the bathroom.

When he reappeared a little while later, clad in his uniform and his hair in neat order, Levi was still sleeping. Erwin mused that he had to be deeply asleep when nothing woke him. He wasn't necessarily noisy but he couldn't avoid all noises he was due to make.

Stepping onto Levi's bed with socked feet he reached for the boy, his hand hovering over one of his lower legs. He was well aware of the knife in Levi's hand and he would rather avoid being slashed so he stuck to trying to startle the other as little as possible. He only lightly touched him and chose to address him in addition.

"Levi."

It didn't take the boy long to react, the moment Erwin touched him his eyes flew open and his upper body jerked up as far as it could as the alcove between wardrobe and ceiling was rather narrow, the knife clutched tightly in his hand. He stared at Erwin who took a step back, holding up his empty hands in a defensive gesture and smiling tentatively.

"It's just me."

It took the other a few seconds to click into place, remembering where he was and who he was staring at, but eventually he blinked and slowly lowered the knife. He drew his legs towards his body, out of Erwin's reach, and raised a hand to rub at his face. He looked exhausted, his eyes were heavy-lidded and the dark circles underneath them had become even darker. Erwin stepped off the bed, giving the boy the space he would need to climb back down.

"How are you feeling? You didn't have any more seizures, did you?"

The boy shook his head, still wrapped in the blankets. He was looking around the room from his spot on top of the wardrobe and Erwin smiled.

"That's good. You care for some breakfast? I told the nice ladies in the kitchen to make you something that will stay in this time, so don't worry."

The boy stared at him, his eyes narrowing the slightest bit. His voice sounded hoarse, maybe his throat was still a little tarnished from the throwing up and sleep.

"So… it was your food that caused… that?"

Erwin inclined his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"It was, yes, but not because there was anything wrong with the food. I ate it too, remember? It's just that… you're not used to eating regularly and your stomach couldn't handle that variety and amount of food, so it did the only thing it could: reject what it couldn't process. And that's basically what happened."

The boy stared at him, Erwin wasn't sure if he was getting what he was saying. He was sure that the boy had never even thought about what his organs did and didn't do, that was something he had never needed. His object had been getting food whenever he could lay his hands on it, end of story.

Eventually Levi nodded and peeled the blankets off his body, leaving them on the wardrobe when he set to come back down. He did so rather gracefully, Erwin was sure that if it wasn't for the injury on his thigh he would have even been more subtle in his movements. He was used to climbing, Erwin realized. Maybe that was what had driven him up there, on top of the wardrobe: the feeling that he was safer the higher he was up somewhere. It made sense to him, his whole behavior. The boy had to get used to a lot of things first and Erwin had to be indulgent and patient during this process, which he was prepared for. It seemed that Levi was willing to make an effort, he didn't flee from the room to find another place to sleep, most likely outside. He stayed even though he had obviously felt uncomfortable - Erwin gave him credit for that.

He smiled at the boy and nodded in the bathroom's direction.

"Get ready then, I'll wait for you in my office."

He left the boy alone, entering the office and walking over to his desk. He would do a little reading and stamping until the boy was ready so he sat down on the chair, taking up one of the reports. Even though this wasn't his usual office and he had only spent a few days here there were a lot of things on his desk – he had to finish all of this before going back to their headquarters.

He tried concentrating on the report but his thoughts just didn't want to stick with it, they wandered off successfully until Erwin sighed and set the report aside. Not yet having had the time to reflect on the events of the previous night his thoughts were constantly going back there. To where the evening had taken a violent turn in a direction Erwin hadn't expected. He didn't know WHAT he had expected – but Levi freaking out somehow hadn't been in the picture. He didn't really know why as it seemed perfectly understandable for him in retro perspective. The boy had snapped, something had been too much for him. It had dawned to him that signing up for the military wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment-thing… it was a long-term commitment and most likely going to change his whole life. He wouldn't see Hermiha for quite some time, would be in a completely new environment, with people around him all the time. He would have a rigid schedule, a whole bunch of rules and so on.

He hadn't expected the boy to fight him, either. He had already gotten used to the boy's calm part and had somehow forgotten about the vicious, dangerous and efficient side of him – yesterday's fight had been a reminder that the boy still was a wild animal, a spooked but dangerous one. And Erwin was glad that it had turned up already instead of boiling inside of the boy for some time. Erwin had taken care of it that way – he thought that Levi was okay now. He had explained to the boy where he stood and Levi had made a decision – Erwin expected this to be settled. At least for now. He was certain that it would take Levi time to get used to everything but as long as the boy told him what was bothering him (or at least let him know in some way) it would be fine. He assumed that, deep down, the boy was glad to be offered a chance. He just had to come to terms with it.

He didn't want to interpret that fact further than so much but – the boy hadn't used his knife on him. He hadn't even reached for it during their fighting. Erwin somehow took that as a good sign; Levi hadn't been planning to KILL him at any point. He had just been very angry, afraid and insecure and furious about it all.

It took Levi a little while to appear but when he did so he was dressed properly, neatly even. His black hair had a rather healthy shine now that it was clean and dry even though it still was unruly, reaching his shoulders and with the absence of a haircut. They would have to fix that before the boy started military training, when using the maneuver gear long hair could cause severe accidents.

Erwin smiled at him and got up from his chair, nodding in the door's direction.

"Let's go downstairs."

He lead the boy to the room where they all ate together, finding it appropriate to take him there. He assumed the knowledge that the corporal had 'adopted' a boy must have spread within their little special squad by now and he was proven to have guessed right, they didn't receive as many curious stares as there could have been.

They entered the common dining room and Erwin was glad to see that it wasn't crowded, most soldiers seemed to have already eaten. There were only three other soldiers and Erwin offered Levi a seat at a table on the opposite side of the room. Judging from the boy's tense shoulders Levi didn't feel comfortable, which was understandable, but he had to get used to being around people, around other soldiers.

Levi took the seat, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking up at him. Erwin smiled and briefly looked over to the other men, recognizing one of them to be Mike Zacharius. He raised his hand in greeting and the other man did the same. Erwin turned his attention back to the boy who had followed his eyes to see who Erwin had greeted.

"I'll get our food."

The boy looked at him and nodded, turning his attention back to the other man. Erwin was sure he didn't do it because they were especially interesting but to watch them, just in case.

He left the room and went over to the kitchen where the nice ladies were apparently happy to see him again. Erwin smiled and let the woman wrap him into a brief conversation before asking for their food. He was eagerly given a tray filled with several things and an elderly lady explained what he was supposed to give to Levi. After being made promise to bring the 'poor starved boy' with him next time he went to the kitchen he was allowed to leave, a little giggling and hushed voices dying down when the door closed behind him.

It was always the same with woman, he mused. Of course it was flattering him even though he knew that it was his looks and rank that caused the woman's excitement. He was always polite and charming, too, he had been educated that way. It was still overly superficial, this whole inner-wall-society, and he knew that he didn't miss it when being far, far away from all of it. He liked to be judged by skill, honor and success, not by his looks, social background and rank. Those very stupid, subjective values that he didn't pay any attention to.

When he reentered the common dining room he was more than a little alarmed when seeing that Levi was no longer alone at their table. Someone was sitting across from him, an elbow propped up on the table and his cheek resting in his palm. It was Mike Zacharias and he was looking at Levi who stared back at him, his arms still crossed in front of his chest. Noting that Levi didn't look anywhere near ready to kill Erwin relaxed, making his way over to them.

Mike looked at him when he reached the table and Levi threw him a brief glance before turning his attention to Mike again. Erwin saw that he was tense but he didn't reach for his knife; Mike got up from his chair and nodded in Levi's direction.

"He smells good. But he doesn't seem to like me."

Erwin's lips twitched and he set the tray down on the wooden table.

"Don't take it personally. Mike, this is Levi. Levi, Mike Zacharius."

The blond man extended a hand and held it out to Levi.

"Welcome to the military, Levi. I heard this guy converted you?"

The boy stiffened even more and he didn't make any movement to take Mike's hand – maybe he didn't even know what the gesture meant. Erwin decided to dissolve the tension and elbowed Mike lightly.

"Don't make it sound ruthless… I'll see you in a few? I suppose you're coming with us to meet Lord Asphyx?"

It was a polite way to tell Mike that he should leave them alone for a while, and that Erwin would talk to him later. They exchanged a short look and Mike nodded slowly, Erwin knew his friend had gotten the message.

"Sure. I'll meet you outside. It was a pleasure meeting you, Levi."

He put two fingers to his temple in greeting and turned around, leaving the room. Erwin watched him go for a moment before sitting down in the seat Mike had left vacant, starting to distribute the food from the tray. Levi slowly relaxed now that Mike was gone, leaning back in his chair and watching Erwin put several bowls in front of him.

"Mike is a good friend of mine, he was part of my squad when I was still squad-leader. I always appreciate working with him; he's great fighter, too."

Levi's eyes followed his hands and Erwin knew that he just waited for him to finish before he would dig in, he had that same hungry expression on his face like the previous night when he had devoured the soup.

"What… he said I smelled good."

His eyes stared at Erwin, the food forgotten for a few moments. Erwin inclined his head and smiled when he poured the boy some tea. Judging from the smell it was chamomile.

"Ah, that. Mike has a very sensitive nose. He smells people's intentions; so by saying that you smelled good he expresses that he likes you."

The boy arched a thin eyebrow at him, taking the mug when Erwin handed it to him.

"You sure have strange people here…"

Erwin couldn't contradict him, he merely smiled and took his own mug into his hands. He had chosen coffee, feeling the need for its energizing effect. Adding a little sip of milk to the dark beverage he leaned back in his chair, nodding towards the food.

"Dig in, it's all for you."

Most of it at least. Erwin had scrambled eggs and a little sausage; Levi had braised vegetables, a little fish, a boiled egg, some clear soup, a mug of milk. They had a basket filled with fresh bread that came with butter and jam that they were supposed to share. Given the little time they had had the ladies had done a great job whipping up some light food for Levi. He could devour all of it and wouldn't be sick; Erwin would just have to stop him when he went to eat ALL of the remaining bread.

The boy did just that, hungrily starting with the soup and eating bread with it. When he was through the bowl he took the fork and poked the vegetables cautiously, shooting Erwin a questioning look. He grinned and took a sip of his coffee.

"It's vegetables. Try them, they're healthy. And that's fish. You're supposed to eat those together. And don't worry, it won't make you sick again. I advised the ladies in the kitchen to give you food your stomach can handle."

Levi poked at the mostly green vegetables again but then took a bite – and then devoured vegetables and fish just as quickly as the soup. Erwin smiled and ate his eggs, helping himself to a little bread.

They mostly ate in silence, apart from Erwin explaining to Levi how to eat the boiled egg, showing him that he had to peel off the hard shell first. He told Levi to be mindful of the amount of bread he consumed and despite being glared at the boy did comply, slowing down a little.

Erwin was having his second cup of coffee and Levi was sipping his milk when he addressed the boy again.

"You might grow a little during the next few weeks. Your being short might be due to the malnourishment."

Levi frowned at him, putting his mug down.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

Erwin chuckled and shook his head, pouring a little more coffee into his mug because he had added a little too much milk, making his beverage too mild.

"Not at all. I think your body didn't get all the things it needed to grow. But you're probably not the age to be full-grown yet, maybe you will gain a couple of inches now that you get proper food."

The boy still frowned but took the mug back in his hands, taking another sip of his milk.

"Hm."

Erwin finished his coffee and set the mug aside, leaning back in his chair and looking at Levi.

"Let me tell you about today's schedule."

He was having the boy's attention, the arched eyebrow indicated it, and he smiled slightly.

"I'll leave with a few of my men to see an important noble a little outside of the town which will take all morning. I don't have any meetings this afternoon so I'd like to grab the opportunity to get you used to being on a horse's back."

The boy blinked when he heard the last part but he didn't say anything, just nodded. Erwin smiled, he was already curious to see Levi ride a horse. He guessed that regarding Levi's motor skills and advanced body control he would be fine.

He reached into his chest pocket and put a few coins in front of Levi, adding another two after thinking briefly.

"I would like you to get yourself a few more clothes. A cloak. And shoes. Do you know the tailor just down the street? I got those clothes there." He pointed at the tunic Levi was wearing. "She's a friend of mine, tell her I sent you and give her my best regards. If she doesn't have anything else in your size, which I assume, tell her she's got only two more days to make some clothes. She'll curse me and tell you to tell me that she hates me but that's fine." He smiled upon seeing the boy's slightly incredulous stare. "Apart from that you're free to spend the remaining time the way you want to. You'll maybe want to get another few things, just get whatever you need. I don't expect you to return the change." He smiled at the boy. "I'd like you to meet me here for lunch around one."

Levi stared at him, then down at the money Erwin had just given him. He didn't make any attempt to reach for the coins, looking back at Erwin instead. His expression was carefully masked when he spoke.

"Don't you worry that I will just run off with all that money?"

Erwin looked back at him, inclining his head a little. Watching him for a little while he smiled just the slightest bit.

"Do I have a reason to?"

He didn't answer the question, he just glanced down and took the money, safely storing it away in his pocket. Erwin's smile only intensified.

He waited for Levi to finish his mug of milk before putting all the empty dishes back onto the tray. The boy helped him, making him blink and say 'thank you' when they were done. They got up and Erwin carried the tray back to the kitchen, excusing himself politely when the woman once again wanted to make him stay a little longer. He spared Levi the experience of being fussed over by a bunch of woman that way, he would save that for the next day. Returning to Levi who had waited in front of the door they made their way to the entrance of the garrison. Erwin smiled at the boy and pointed in the direction of the stables.

"I'll go outside and get my horse ready. I'll see you later, Levi."

The boy nodded and then turned to leave the garrison through the front entrance. Erwin looked after him for a few moments before directing his steps to the stable. He was sure that the boy would be fine out there, he had been for years. Erwin had to concentrate on their meeting with the lord, he would meet his commander and another few soldiers in a little while to go there. And then he would have lunch with Levi and teach him a little riding – he was already looking forward to it.

~*~ 

And on to the next~  
I hope you enjoyed reading this!  
<3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH GOD GUYS I'm really really sorry for the long wait...! But I had so much stuff to do and just couldn't really sit down to write... and when I did... this chapter seemed to stretched into infinity. TAT  
> It's really long, maybe that's a recompense for the long wait!  
> Hope you enjoy it~  
> <3

~*~

Resisting the urge to draw back into the shadows of more narrow streets Levi made his way through the sun-flooded main street. His jaw was clenched and he had his hand tightened to fists in the pockets of his tunic, his fingers tightly wrapped around the money Erwin had given him. People were passing by and Levi meandered through them, carefully avoiding being too close to anybody.

It had never been stranger to be walking around the town – and he had never felt out of place like he did. He was waiting for somebody to shove him, to attack him, to try to wrestle him to the ground and take the money away from him – but nothing like that happened. It was broad daylight and very normal people were minding their own very normal businesses – and nobody paid any attention to Levi.

He wasn't used to that. He wasn't used to walking around among other people, to not being afraid of any of them. Trying to keep his face as neutral as he could he eyed passing people wearily, trying to keep track of everything that happened around him. It was much more difficult doing this during the day, at night there weren't as many people walking around, making it easier for him to oversee everything. He felt threatened in a way, waiting for people to scat him, trying to capture him. He nearly dove for the nearest shadows and his hand went for his knife when a group of soldiers bearing the Military Police's unicorn on their jackets passed him – but they didn't even spare him a look, they walked by, talking and laughing.

He was… normal. Just another person walking around the city, minding his own very normal business. But that needed some time to sink in – he had a right to be here, he didn't need to fight or kill people to earn it. He just had it because he wore clothes that were whole and blended in with other people's clothes. The thought was calming him a little – and still he was more than relieved when he finally reached the taylor Erwin had him to. Taking a deep breath he opened the shop's door, bells chimed when he did. Levi entered, looking around the bright room that was filled with cloth and clothes but he couldn't find the person owning all of it – until he heard a woman's voice.

"Just a sec, I'll be right with you!"

His eyes darted into the direction the voice had come from and he noticed a little door at the back of the shop. It was open and only a few seconds later somebody emerged from the room that was behind it, carrying a few panels of fabric in her arms. The woman had red, curly hair that fell past her shoulders and she was smiling, putting the panels onto a table where she most likely would be cutting them into pieces to make clothes from them. She looked up at Levi with bright green eyes, tucking a strand of her curls behind her ear.

"Hi there, how I can – ohhhh I'm glad to see they fit!"

Levi blinked when he saw her smile brighten even more, at first not understanding her excitement, but then he got it. Of course she recognized clothes that she had made when people wore them.

She came over to him, walking around him to contemplate him from all sides. He eyed her warily, turning his head to look over his shoulder when she disappeared behind him, not wanting to lose sight of her. There was nothing dangerous about her, she just wanted to see her clothes on him but he still was being cautious.

When she stepped in front of him and clapped her hands together happily he looked up to her, she was quite a few inches taller than he was though nowhere near Erwin's height. The man was just ridiculously tall.

"His visual judgment really is nearly impeccable, I'm impressed."

She held a hand out to him, smiling, and he very gingerly took it after a few moments of brief hesitation.

"I'm Vera, nice to meet you, …uhm… Erwin didn't tell me your name, I'm afraid."

That was because Erwin didn't even know it when he came here to buy those clothes, Levi thought darkly. Cocky bastard, he still was.

He looked at her and slipped his hand out of hers, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"It's… Levi."

Knowing that it was no point telling her the way to pronounce his name in the correct way he just stuck with the name Erwin called him by, not minding the sound of it as he was used to it.

Vera smiled and nodded, inclining her head a little.

"Levi, then. I hope you like the clothes, the colours are very good on you. I'm glad I had a few garments, it's not so common that I have clothes in your size. I mostly do clothes for grown-ups."

Levi nodded and looked around the room, taking in the friendly atmosphere and the brightness of the room which helped him to feel more comfortable being inside. It wasn't as bad as being in the garrison that was filled with soldiers and, he had to point it out, dirty. Knowing that it was only a temporary place for the soldiers of the scouting legion to stay in he assumed that it wasn't cleaned often.

Directing his attention back to the red-haired woman he unfolded his arms and reached into the pockets of his trousers.

"Erwin sent me here and he wants me to give you his best regards." He paused briefly when she smiled, bowing a little to him, before he went on. "He told me to get a few more clothes and a cloak. And shoes."

Vera looked around the room and looked at him apologetically before walking over to a stack of clothes that she examined, taking the clothes into her hands and regarding them one by one.

"I don't think I have more things in your size, Levi, I'm terribly sorry. I'm sure I can shorten a few things a little but those will still be huge on you…"

"He told me, in case that you didn't have any clothes in my size, which he expected, to tell you that you have two more days to make new ones."

The woman stood straight and stared at him incredulously, standing with her hands on her hips. Her green eyes were a little wide as if she couldn't believe the degree of impudence of Erwin's request – and Levi really couldn't blame her.

"He really told you that, huh? That insolent brat, his rudeness is incredible at times." She huffed and rushed over to the desk where she fetched a metering rule. "He surely thinks I don't have other clients to serve, doesn't he? Oh Erwin, you're going to owe me for this." She rushed back to Levi who almost took a step back at her fierceness but when she just started to take his measures he stilled, holding out his arms when she told him to. Green eyes looked into his own when she crouched down while gauging him from shoulder to hip. "Tell him I hate him, okay?"

Levi looked at her, shivering a little when she pushed his tunic up to measure the range of his hips.

"He told me you would tell me to do that."

Vera stared at him for a moment and then she started laughing – which surprised Levi a little, it seemed that the woman was not as angry as she wanted to appear.

"Oh boy, that man is unbelievable. You be careful, he tends to be a manipulative little shit at times."

Levi felt the need to snort but didn't, just settled with looking straight ahead darkly when she stood up and took the length of his arm. "Who are you telling this to…"he murmured quietly underneath his breath.

When Vera had taken all his measures and noted them down on a piece of parchment she looked at him, the smile back on her face.

"All done. Tell mister corporal Erwin bastard Smith-" Her expression darkened a little. "-that the clothes will be ready in two days, you can come pick them up then." Levi had to admit he liked her, he appreciated the way she kept insulting Erwin.

He reached into his pocket and presented her the money Erwin had given to him a little earlier, holding it out to her in his hands.

"How much for all of it…?"

He didn't have any clue about how much he was supposed to give to her, money didn't have a value for him – he had never paid anything with money before, he didn't know what the coins were worth in goods. He would have to trust her to take the right amount – he didn't know her well but Vera and Erwin seemed to know each other, he assumed he could trust her not to rob money from Erwin.

Vera looked at him and frowned a little, then looked down at the golden coins that laid in his palms. She seemed to count for a few moments and reached out, taking a few of the coins from Levi and showed him what she had taken.

"That will do, it's for another two tunics, shirts, trousers, underwear, socks and the cloak."

There were still some coins left and Levi thought for a few moments, looking around the shop and then back at Vera, eyeing her a little warily.

"I still need shoes… and I also want a scarf. Can I get this here, too?"

He felt stupid in that moment – he had never needed to know where to buy what kinds of goods… biting his tongue he watched her look around the shop, tapping her lip in consideration before her eyes lit up. She exclaimed an 'Ahhh!' and walked over to a little cupboard, opened one of the drawers and pulled a few scarves from there, holding them up.

"Blue? Black? Or Red? Purple?"

"Does the colour matter…?"

Vera laughed and put the red and purple scarves back into the drawer, coming back with a dark blue and a black one.

"As I'm going to make your clothes from green, white, blue, brown, red and black fabric I think you go best with blue and black." She took another coin from Levi and motioned him to put the remaining money back into his pocket before putting the blue scarf loosely around Levi's neck and setting the black one on the table with the panels. She leaned on the table and pointed towards the window, Levi followed the gesture and turned to see what she was pointing at.

"For shoes I suggest you go over there, they have good ones."

There was a shop on the other side of the street, they had a few pairs of shoes behind their window.

Levi looked back at Vera and nodded, hesitated a little before he asked her, feeling stupid again.

"The…money that I got left… will be enough for shoes?"

She cocked her head to the side and smiled, straightening up and walking over to him.

"Depends on how many pairs you want to buy but it is more than enough for another two."

Levi nodded, relieved about her answer, and set to ask his next question, feeling a hated blush creep onto his cheeks when he did so.

"And… I need things for… cleaning teeth…?" He had seen the stuff in Erwin's bathroom this morning, at first not really realizing what it was, but he had sniffed the jar of the white paste and had recognized the pleasant smell of it on Erwin's breath – and had put two and two together. He had always cleaned his teeth by chewing on little twigs or rubbing down his teeth with roots of plants, just as he had been taught – but the things he had seen this morning seemed much more effective to him and he wanted them, too.

Vera nodded, looking a little surprised by his request, and then pointed down the streets.

"You can get those things a few houses down the streets, at Rita's. She sells a whole bunch of medical things and body hygiene stuff, too, you will recognize the shop by the white cross above the door."

Levi nodded again, slightly bowing his head to the woman.

"Thank you…"

She smiled at him and repeated the movement, tossing her hair over her shoulder before moving to stand at her table.

"Anytime. Now, I'll get back to work – there's clothing I need to have ready by the day after tomorrow." She winked at him and Levi's lips twitched. He pulled his new scarf tighter around his neck and looked at her.

"I'll see you, then."

She smiled and raised her hand, waving at him.

"Take care, Levi. And don't forget to give Erwin a piece of my mind, will you?"

He offered her a slight smile and turned around, leaving the shop to let her get back her to her work.

His trip to the store where they sold shoes went by rather quickly, he showed them his shoes and told them to give him another pair of those and a pair of boots that were more suitable for wearing in winter. Carrying a bag with his purchases down the street he found the shop with the white cross above the door and entered, the urge to buy a lot of stuff for keeping himself as clean as he could growing stronger and stronger.

He stayed longer in that shop, looking at everything and ending up buying lots of things. Nice-smelling soap to wash his hair and another one for his body, things that they called toothbrush, a jar of pleasant-smelling toothpaste, a strong-smelling dissolution that was supposed to help him keep his whole mouth clean, a little, flexible plate made from silver that he was supposed to clean his tongue with. He was already dying to try it all out, he had a woman explain it to him. He had also been assured that his teeth were fine which he had been really glad about, he knew that toothache was a terrible thing – he had seen it.

Still having some coins left in his pocket he returned to the garrison, passing the guards without any questions asked, they merely greeted him rather cheerfully. Erwin had most likely told them to let him in and out as he pleased – how considerate of him. Levi huffed quietly and carried the things that he had bought into the corporal's private rooms, placing the shoes next to his bed and taking the rest of the things into the bathroom. He put all of it onto an empty shelf and got to work right away, cleaning his teeth and mouth with everything that he had bought.

Knowing that he would touch horses and reek of them later he refrained from trying the new soap, putting himself off to do it later that night. He put all the things he had used back onto the shelf, pausing a moment to look at Erwin's things that were strewn around the washbowl. The man… was very untidy, judging from his desk, the way he threw his clothes and those things here around. Pressing his lips into a thin line the boy put away Erwin's things, too, storing them at the other side of the shelf he had put his things on to.

He had just set the last item onto the shelf when he heard noise on the other side of the open bathroom's window and he moved to see what was happening. It seemed that the party meeting that lord Erwin had mentioned in the morning was back, some soldiers were arriving with their horses. Levi recognized one of them to be Dallas Zacklay and his eyes narrowed a little, moving to search for Erwin. He wasn't really hard to find, sitting on the only white horse there was. He was giving some instructions and then swung his right leg over the horse's long neck to slide from the saddle, landing on his feet and grabbing the horse's reins.

Levi turned away from the window and looked around, finding the bathroom in perfect order. He nodded to himself and then left the room, heading downstairs to the room where they had eaten in the morning. Choosing to stand close to the door so he had it in visible range instead of going inside and sitting down at a table he waited for Erwin to appear. He didn't want to be stared at and questioned what he was doing here – he doubted that Erwin had explained his being here to every soldier and he wasn't in the mood for stupid questions.

Soldiers passed him without noticing him and filed into the common room, most of them busily chatting with each other – Erwin was one of the last. Levi pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning at and followed the blond man into the room, looking around to seek him out. He found him standing at one of the tables, talking to the tall, blond man who had seated himself across from Levi this morning when Erwin had gotten the food for them. Levi narrowed his eyes a little, the man was strange. He came over to their table after Erwin had left the room, sniffing the air as if he was trying to smell something in particular – which had been the case, Erwin had told him. The particular smell had been Levi's smell. He felt uncomfortable about it and he would watch the man closely when he was around. That was why he didn't approach Erwin any further, waiting for him to finish. He was aware of the looks he was receiving from other soldiers, some had noticed him by now, and he was getting uncomfortable.

The blond man, Mike, chose this moment to look past Erwin and noticed Levi which caused him to point that out to the other blond man, gesturing in Levi's direction. Erwin looked over his shoulder and tapped the men's table twice with his fingers, excusing himself before turning around to face Levi. Erwin smiled and Levi couldn't help but feel a little comforted by the gesture. The blond man closed the distance between them and pointed at the same table that they had sat at when eating breakfast, it wasn't occupied at all.

"Glad to see you, Levi. Why don't you sit down over there? I'll get our food. Oh, and take that with you."

He handed him a little bag and Levi took it, it was light. Levi nodded and walked over to the table, sitting down on the same chair as he had sat on in the morning while Erwin left the room, undoubtedly going to the kitchen to get another tray full of food. He didn't get it… he didn't know why this man did all that for him. Buying him clothes, making sure he ate properly – and without asking for anything in return. Levi had agreed to sign up for military training, yes – but it wasn't something that served Erwin Smith personally.

He sat the bag down on the floor next to his chair and shook his head, not wanting to go into that any further. He had successfully not thought about it the whole morning and he wanted this to go on, just pretending that this was… absolutely not fishy.

Looking around the room unremarkably he noticed that soldiers left the room and returned with filled plates a little later, they seemed to all go to the kitchen to get their share of food. Levi tried to see what they were eating but he didn't really recognize anything. He hadn't had too many cooked meals in his life, the things he had been able to steal had been bread, pastries, sausages… things that didn't need to be cooked. This morning he had eaten fish, eggs and cooked vegetables for the first time.

He received another few curious stares but it seemed that now that they had seen Erwin Smith interact with him his being there wasn't questioned any further. Mike also looked at him and when Levi's gaze crossed his he raised his hand in greeting. Levi blinked and then hesitantly nodded, showing the man that he had acknowledged the gesture. He half expected the man to come over again but that didn't happen – and he was glad about it.

Hearing footsteps he looked over his shoulder to see Erwin walking up to their table, a tray in his hands. It seemed that Levi was getting special food again, if they were going to eat what the others ate Erwin wouldn't have needed a tray. The blond man set the tray down on the table and moved to sit down on his chair, starting to scatter the plates. The delicious smell of food rose to his nose and he felt the familiar urge to grab for it, stuff as much of it into his mouth as he possibly could because he could never be certain that there wasn't somebody going to take the food away from him – even though he didn't need to worry about it, here. Nobody would take his food away, he knew that. It was very hard to suppress the instincts that had been burnt into his behavior, though.

Levi got another mug of tea and one of milk, a plate filled with some pale meet in sauce and orange… vegetables if he guessed correctly. There were steaming yellow things on another plate and judging from their shape he would say that they were potatoes but he had never seen them cooked so he wasn't sure. He just knew that they were poisonous when eaten raw. There was another little bowl filled with… a yellowish… paste. He frowned slightly and poked at the stuff with his fork, learning that it was rather soft – and he heard Erwin chuckle. Looking up at the sharply he looked at him, narrowing his eyes a little.

"What's so funny?"

The man's blue eyes almost sparkled when he smiled, his charm was almost disgusting.

"Just your way of poking the pudding like it's going to attack you. It's sweet and vanilla-flavoured and the dessert." Levi just glared at him and Erwin smiled, completely unfazed, gesturing at the food vaguely. "You know the rest? The meat is chicken the nice ladies told me."

Levi lowered his gaze to look at the food, really wanting to start eating but he pointed at the plate with the yellow things, just in case. "This?"

Erwin raised his eyebrows and inclined his head, looking at Levi curiously.

"Boiled potatoes, peeled. You've never had any…?" When Levi arched one eyebrow the corporal seemed to rethink his question and noticed the stupidity of it. "Let me take that back. No cooking… and they're poisonous when eaten raw." There, answered his own stupid question. Levi couldn't help but feel a little smug. He nodded and started eating, learning that the orange vegetables almost tasted a little sweet. He sunk his fork into one of the two pieces of meat and lifted it from his table, leaned forward to take a bite of the piece. The sauce was dripping off it back to the plate and somehow he already knew that this couldn't be the right way to eat this before he heard Erwin clear his throat. He shot the blond soldier a glance, Erwin held a knife out to him, smiling softly.

"It's easier if you cut it first."

Levi snatched the knife from Erwin's fingers, feeling a blush creep into his cheeks and hating himself for it. He had never been properly taught how to eat with cutlery – eating soup with a spoon had been self-explanatory and this morning's food had been eatable with a fork. He glared at Erwin, waiting for him to laugh at him again – but the blond man didn't, he showed Levi his hand's instead.

"Here, that's how you hold it. You're right-handed, right?" When presented with Levi's blank stare he just waved it off. "Nevermind, just mirror me. Knife in the right hand, fork in the left." Levi stuck with mirroring Erwin, holding knife and fork like the older man did. "Good. Now stick the fork into the meat at the edge of the piece to hold it in place and use the knife to cut off the piece containing the fork." Levi did so a little clumsily, it made sense, though - he could now put the piece of meat into his mouth without making a mess on the table – or himself if he was unlucky.

"Good. You can do another few helpful things when using both knife and fork. "

Erwin smiled and cut his own meat, using the knife to push some of the orange vegetables onto his fork to eat them together with the meat. Levi cut off another piece of meat and mirrored Erwin's action of pushing more food onto the fork which resulted in having too much food on his fork – which he realized after he had put all of it into his mouth, chewing was a little difficult.

They ate in silence, Levi was concentrating on eating neatly and watching Erwin doing just that; Erwin was busy with his food, trying to mask the fact that he was watching Levi in return. He wasn't really bothered by it, knowing that the man wasn't silently mocking him because he had never eaten with cutlery before.

Levi made short work of his food, devouring meat, vegetables and the potatoes (that tasted surprisingly mild and bland). He also downed his tea and Erwin refilled his mug for him, Levi hadn't really noticed that he had been thirsty all along.

They had started with the dessert (Levi had been informed that dessert was meant to be eaten after the actual meal) when Erwin asked him about his morning, scooping up pudding with his spoon. Levi, who had already eaten half of the pudding in his bowl, looked up at him.

"I went to the taylor, I bought clothes, shoes and… a few other things."

Erwin nodded and took a sip of his water, arching his eyebrows in question.

"Oh, Vera did have another few clothes in your size?"

Levi ate another spoon of the pudding-paste-thing, making a mental note for himself that he apparently loved vanilla – this stuff was about the best stuff he had ever tasted. He shook his head at the corporal's question.

"No. I asked her for more clothes and she told me that she didn't have any. So I told her that you told me to tell her that she had two days for making some clothes. She called you an insolent brat and told me to tell you that she hates you."

Erwin stared at him for a second, blinked and then had the audacity to laugh. Levi watched him, almost a little disappointed that he was so utterly unfazed by the fact that the woman might be a little mad at him. Cerulean eyes sparkled and he sat back on his chair, lifting his arms a little when he shrugged.

"I told you she would… but insolent brat? She really said that?" Levi nodded and Erwin chuckled. "Brat… she's not even that much older." Levi did notice that he didn't even try to rebut the 'insolent' in front of the 'brat'. "But she's doing the clothes, then?"Levi nodded again and finished his pudding, contemplating to ask for a refill. But he felt pretty full… and he vividly remembered throwing up the previous night, he really didn't want to risk being sick again.

Erwin seemed satisfied and finished his pudding, too, while Levi was sipping his milk. He wasn't too fond of the taste but Erwin had told him during breakfast that it held some stuff that was important for the bones and so Levi drank it. He was curious if he would really grow a little taller now that he was stuffed with food every day.

The blond soldier leaned back on his chair and sipped his water, looking at Levi.

"I'm glad you got everything. I got you another something, too. It's in the bag I gave you earlier."

Levi frowned and set the mug down on the table, reaching for the bag instead and put his hand inside, feeling cloth and something harder. He pulled its contents out of the bag and needed a moment until he realized what it was.

"Those will be better for horseback-riding, the pants are reinforced in some places and those boots are the best things to ride in. I got them at one of the Guard's garrisons, it's the smallest they had. I hope they fit."

Erwin had brought him the Military's typical dirty-white trousers of their uniform, a white shirt to wear with it and the brown boots. That was good because Levi had already dreaded the thought of having to walk around in clothes that were reeking of horse and probably filthy. He wanted to keep his new clothes clean and good – the thought of being filthy again was unbearable.

He looked at the blond man, lowering his eyes a little when he softly said, "…thank you.". It still felt awkward to mouth the words but he wanted to express that he really felt that way and so he forced himself to get them past his lips.

Erwin smiled at him and finished his water, starting to put their used dishes back onto the tray while Levi took the last few sips of his milk.

"Not for that, Levi."

He finished his milk and put the mug onto the tray, helping to put all the plates and cutlery back onto it as well. When the tray was charged Erwin stood up and reached for it, addressing Levi.

"Go upstairs and get changed, I'll return the dishes. Meet me in the stable when you're ready."

He nodded and got up as well, taking the bag with him as he left the room with Erwin. They parted ways at the stairs and Levi made his way upstairs to go change.

~*~

He returned the used dishes to the kitchen and made his way to the stable afterwards, taking off his leather jacket to drape it over the side wall of Flakes's stall. He smiled when the white stallion raised his head from the hay he had been chewing on and approached the door, nudging Erwin's chest with his nose. He reached to the side and grabbed for a carrot, feeding it to the tall horse. Looking him over he could see that his fur had dried already, wet as it had been from the riding they had done to get to the lord they had gone to see in the morning.

Entering the horse's stall he patted the long, elegant neck and slipped a head-collar onto his head, leading the stallion out of the box to tether him in front of it. The horse perked up its ears and looked at Erwin curiously as if asking him 'You have already chased me through the countryside today, what do you want now?'. Erwin smiled and patted Flake's back, feeding him another carrot with the other hand.

"Poor boy, I'm really sorry to bother you again. But it's not going to be strenuous, I promise. He's the weight of a fly, don't worry."

"So you'll teach him how to ride a horse now?"

Erwin looked over his shoulder to see Mike walking up to him, hands casually in the pockets of his white pants. The man chose to lean against the door of Flakes's stall, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking at Erwin. He smiled and draped an arm over his horse's back, stroking the white fur at the back.

"Yes. I don't think he's ever seen a horse up close, let alone been on its back before. We're going to be in the saddle for a few days and I think it's useful to get him accustomed to that."

Mike nodded, watching Erwin closely. He seemed to be on the edge of saying something but didn't and Erwin cocked his head to the side.

"Spit it out, what is it?" He knew Mike too well to be ignorant of the fact that the man wanted to say something, they had worked together long enough for him to know when something was up. Mike was as good as he was with masking his emotions but there were little things that gave them away – and the barely noticeable narrowing of his left eye (which he was sure the other wasn't even aware of) was one of those things.

Mike raised his eyebrows and reached out to pet Flakes's nose when the stallion strained his long neck to sniff him.

"What is it with this kid? Where did you get him from?"

Erwin pushed his hand underneath Flakes's thick mane, curling his fingers through the silky fur there while he answered his friend's questions. He had wanted to tell Mike about the whole thing earlier this morning but they hadn't had time for a chat so he was content that Mike had come to see him now. They were alone in the stable as far as Erwin could tell – but he wasn't telling things that were well-protected secrets so he couldn't care less.

"Found him a few nights ago and suggested he should join the military. He's really skilled and I think he's going to be an enrichment to whatever force he's going to join after the military training."

He couldn't be exactly sure about the boy's choice – but his aversion against the Military Police ruled that one out already and the Stationary Guard… Erwin doubted that Levi would like repairing walls and acting out justice in the places too far away from the Military Police to control. He was almost positive that the boy would join the Scouting Legion – but three years of training were long and could of course influence his decision. Erwin was hoping that he would join the Scouting Legion, of course. He could unfold his skills best there – if he was convinced of their cause. He knew that the decision to join the Recon Corps was a fatal one and every soldier deciding to do it because they wanted to fight for the cause of humanity had his heart-felt respect.

Mike frowned at him and poked Flakes's nose playfully.

"How is he skilled? He looks starved to death and even though I don't smell anything fishy around him… he's got a vicious aura about him."

He almost laughed about Mike's way of saying that manners where something Levi probably didn't even know how to spell (scratch that as Levi probably didn't know how to spell anything at all) and settled with smirking.

"He certainly does…" The boy was a handful – and none to underestimate, he had to remind himself. Levi was mostly civil with Erwin because he had earned it – he certainly didn't expect Levi to be the same way with others when they weren't nice to him. "I've seen him in action, you'd be surprised. I can't wait to make him run our training course at the headquarters." He was sure that Levi would outperform at least most of the other trainees if not all of them, his long-trained survival and physical skills were far more advanced than those of usual kids.

Mike nodded slowly, going back to putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm looking forward to watching it. So… there's nothing behind it? No special reason for choosing this kid in particular?"

Erwin looked at him, watching his expression. Mike was looking at him with genuine interest, he knew that he couldn't fool Erwin's attentive eyes when pretending that he didn't really want to know. Mike's nose was very sensitive and he usually knew when something was up – but he was never able to read anything when it came to Erwin. He didn't smell like anything to him – that was why he had to trust on Erwin to be honest with him.

He smiled, deciding to stick to the truth as closely as he felt comfortable with.

"Not really. I just have a good feeling about him, it's an instinct-thing."

Mike looked at him for another little while and nodded, the corners of his mouth turning upwards just a little bit. He never was the type for hearty smiles and Erwin appreciated every effort.

"Your instincts never fail you so I'll go along and trust them." Erwin's smile brightened, it meant a lot to him. He knew he had Mike's unconfined trust, they had worked together very well when Mike had still been in his quad and they had learned to appreciate and respect one another. "Just remember your own words about no longer being able to differ between your soldiers – and having favourites. And you definitely need to talk to Jana."

Erwin almost winced when Mike reminded him of the fact that OH YES, he needed to talk to Jana. This was one of the two things that he disliked about leaving Hermiha – not being able to see his sister for a while was the other one.

He remembered his words. And he didn't see any reason to forget about them.

Looking at Mike he nodded, raising a hand to run his hand through the short hair the back of his neck.

"I know. I will as soon as we're back."

It was going to be a very unpleasant conversation, but it really had to be done – better sooner than later. He needed to get his point across to his fellow soldier –preferably without her making a big deal of it.

Mike nodded, looking at Erwin almost a little sympathetically – which he really didn't need to, Erwin had chosen this fate willingly. While Mike didn't quite agree with his reasons for the choice he had made regarding partners and the like he was concerned anyway.

"Good."

Erwin mirrored his nod, at the brim of retorting something, when he caught a movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see Levi enter the stable, walking down the aisle towards them. Smiling he looked the boy up and down, he was wearing the pants, the shirt and the boots – the pants seemed a little loose but they would do until Levi got trousers in children-size at the military training camp. Erwin had gotten him the smallest female-size that they had at the Guard's garrison.

Levi had tucked the shirt neatly into his pants, closed all of the shirt's buttons.

"There you are. I'm happy to see they fit."

Levi nodded and threw a glance at Mike, keeping his physical distance to both men when coming to a halt. Mike straightened up and pushed away from the wood he had been leaning at, jerking his head in the garrison building's direction.

"I'll leave you, see you later." Erwin nodded and Mike was about to leave when he paused, turning to face Levi instead. "Just let me warn you, your ass is going to hurt for days."

Erwin bit back on a chuckle when the boy frowned, eying Erwin and the white horse suspiciously and then shifting his gaze back to Mike. Erwin patted Flakes on the back and detached himself from the horse, shaking his head when he looked at Levi.

"Mike's exaggerating, he's actually quite comfortable to ride. It's not that bad."

Mike waved him off, nodding his head in Levi's direction repeatedly.

"It is, you'll see."

Erwin made a tzking sound and made shooing movements with his hands in the other blonde's direction, clearly signaling Mike to take his leave.

"Don't listen to him."

Mike shrugged and finally left them but did so with a chuckle. Erwin smiled at his back for a moment before turning to Levi who was still eying Flakes a little warily. He smiled at the boy and motioned for him to come closer.

"Come here, I'll show you how to take care of him properly."

Levi came over a little hesitantly and Erwin handed him a carrot, motioning him to approach the tall horse further. The white horse turned his head and perked up his ears when he saw the carrot in Levi's hand, already craning his long neck for it and making that endearingly funny thing with his upper lip, twisting it around to reach the carrot.

"His name's Flakes… and I think he really wants to have that carrot."

Levi stepped closer, held the carrot out to him and Flakes gently took it, making short work of the vegetable. He sniffed at Levi, then, probably searching for more carrots – and Erwin was mildly surprised when he nudged him into his narrow chest, the gesture being much gentler than like he always did this to Erwin. Just as if the horse knew that he would maybe knock Levi over when he shoved him too hard. He smiled and bent down to reach for a brush.

"Pet him, I think he likes you."

Their horses never usually disliked anybody, they were trained properly and 100% loyal, carrying everybody on their backs – but of course the horses were more attached to the person riding them frequently. Flakes was very attached to Erwin, he would follow him around like a dog if he wasn't tethered or in some kind of enclosed space. Maybe because he had still been very young when he had gotten him, he had come directly from his training and Erwin was the first soldier to ride him to battle.

To see the white horse being so friendly with Levi (he was just trying to lick Levi's hand even though the boy tried to stop him) was surprising – but it was relieving as his concerns that Flakes might misbehave when sensing an inexperienced rider were narrowed down.

Erwin let Levi get a little more familiar with the horse, watched the boy pet the horse's nose and neck before handing him a brush, taking another one into his own hands.

"We'll groom him first. Putting saddle and bridle onto a dirty horse is going to cause the horse sore spots and we're to avoid that no matter what. Horses are very important for us, we need to keep them in good shape in order for them to perform like we expect them to when we're going outside – apart from us being very fond of our horses. They're our companions and sometimes help us make really narrow escapes – they deserve being well taken care of."

Levi nodded and watched Erwin start grooming the horse's fur, soon mirroring his actions. Erwin smiled and switched to the other side so they would finish faster. It was when the boy bent down to brush the stallion's legs that Erwin was reminded of the length of his hair again, Levi brushed the strands falling into his face behind his ears. Erwin made a mental note to make sure Levi got a proper haircut before he delivered him to the training camp.

He showed Levi how to clean a horse's hooves and then how to attach saddle and bridle properly. Knowing that it took a few times watching the whole process before you could do it all by yourself he was content that Levi watched him closely, probably trying to memorize where each leather strap should be attached.

When Flakes was ready Erwin held the reins out to Levi and the boy took them awkwardly, making Erwin smile when he explained how he was supposed to hold the reins when leading a horse around and that he should walk on the horse's left side.

"Okay, let's go."

He led Levi out of the stable and across the courtyard to the meadow that was enclosed by a fence. It was usually for the horses to graze upon but as the horses were all inside the stable today Erwin wanted to use the free space to make Levi practice.

Erwin opened the gate and Levi led Flakes inside, stopping then and looking at Erwin expectantly. He closed the gate and stood next to Flakes, patting his croup.

"Put the reins over his head, just see to them not being twisted." He waited for Levi to do so and smiled softly when Flakes lowered his head to make the task easier for the short boy. He reached out to pull down the stirrup, walking around Flakes to do the same with the second and returned to the horse's left side. He made Levi stand right at the saddle, pointing at the stirrup.

"Okay, you just put your left foot in there, grab the saddle and –"

The boy was on the horse's back so fast that Erwin couldn't even finish his explanation – and he hadn't used the stirrup, he had somehow climbed the horse with some graceful movements that made Erwin envy him. In military training they had been supposed to mount a horse's bare back – and Erwin had almost failed the task because he just had never gotten HOW to move his body up there with no things helping him. And he had passed just barely, somehow getting onto the poor horse's back but feeling like a flour sack doing so.

He looked up at the boy who was now towering over him by some inches, grinning at him.

"I should have expected that you didn't need any explanation for that."

The boy could also climb wardrobes – and Erwin was sure that trees, houses, brides where things that he could easily climb.

Levi looked down at him, seeming just the tiniest bit smug, and leaned forward to pat the base of Flakes' neck. Erwin took up the reins and twisted them until they made a straight line from the bit to the part where they connected with the other rein and held them out to Levi.

"Here, grab them."

Levi did so and Erwin looked at his hands, reaching for them to cover them with his own. He showed Levi where to put his fingers by guiding him with his own, feeling the other stiffen underneath his touch – and the coldness of his skin. He looked up at him and was met with Levi's blank stare, he cocked his head to the side.

"Are you cold?"

The boy shook his head und his hands twitched a little, obviously confused about the physical contact Erwin was inflicting on him. He couldn't blame him – but he was doing this for a reason. He tightened his grip on the boy's smaller hands and moved his fingers around with his own.

"There, that's how you shorten the reins. You do that when you want to go faster because shorter reins mean more control over the horse. If you don't have the reins short when the horse is running at high-speed you can't really tug on them to make the horse slow down, okay? And if you're really unlucky the horse's front legs will tangle in the loose reins and that… might end up really ugly. So just remember: The faster you want to run the shorter your reins need to be." He moved his fingers again, made the boy loosen his grip on the reins. "That's what you do when you go slower, leaving the horse more room to move its head. Believe me, they're happier like that." Keeping horses on short reins when going slow would only agitate them after a while.

He did notice that the tension slowly left the boy the longer he touched his hands, he was looking down on them with a look of concentration on his face. Erwin smiled, feeling content about the whole thing.

Erwin let go of the boy's hands and moved his right to the boy's leg instead, pushing it up until it was draped over the pad the knee lay against usually, his foot dangling down. Levi stared at him and watched him reach for the straps that attached the stirrups to the saddle.

"What are you doing?"

Erwin smiled.

"I'm shortening the straps so you can put your feet into the stirrups. They're still my length and won't be of any use for you like that."

He showed Levi how to shorten the straps und pulled his leg down when he was done, pushing his foot into the stirrup. Walking around the horse he went to do the same with the other strap, Levi raising his leg on his own this time and insisting on trying it himself.

When they were done Erwin returned to Flakes' left side, patting the horse's neck for being so patient with them. He stood at Levi's left leg and reached out to grab the area containing the Achilles tendon. Levi looked down at him and he looked up, pushing against his foot to make it poke the horse with its heel softly.

"That's what you do when you want to make the horse accelerate. You do it with both heels simultaneously. Usually our horses are well-trained and obey when you tap them lightly but sometimes… they might be a little lazy, you tap a little more urgently and repeat it if necessary."

Levi nodded and repeated the movement, apparently using both of his feet because it made Flakes take a step. Erwin moved with him and reached for the reins, pulling on them to make the horse stop, and smiled up at Levi.

"Yes, exactly like that."

The boy had just moved with the horse's movement, hadn't been thrown off-balance by it at all. Erwin noticed that with approval, it confirmed his expectations of Levi having no nameable difficulties with adjusting to the movements of a horse.

Levi readjusted himself in the saddle, looking down at Erwin.

"And how do I make the horse slow down? Just pulling at the reins that I have shortened before?"

He smiled, the boy was catching up quickly. Putting a hand onto the boy's thigh he pushed against it lightly, seeing the boy frown at him.

"You pull, yes, carefully. But you also shift your weight back, making yourself seem heavier – and you tense the muscles in your thighs, like you want to close your legs a little. The horse feels that and those things combined will do the trick."

Levi looked at him, nodding slowly and Erwin pulled his hand back, done with explaining things and touching Levi to show him how he wanted him to move his limbs.

"That sounds complicated."

Erwin laughed and took a step back, shaking his head.

"It really isn't, you just need a little while to get used to it." He made a vague gesture around himself. "Okay, I think I explained most things to you. Let's practice a little. I want you to ride around me, just make a wide circle. If you want to go more to the right you pull the right rein, same with left. Go slow at first and get used to the movement. And if you have any questions, just ask."

Levi nodded, took a deep breath and then tapped Flakes' flanks with his heels tentatively, making the horse start moving. Grabbing the reins a little shorter at Erwin's command he directed Flakes to move around Erwin in the wide circle he had requested.

It was all going very well, Levi was able to implement most of the things Erwin had explained to him and the older man was watching him, feeling a little proud. The boy sat straight on his horse's back, fully concentrating on everything Erwin told him to do and not really looking like he had never done this before. When Erwin explained that horses had three different paces that all felt different Levi asked him if he could try the other two and Erwin didn't see any reason why he shouldn't. So he told him to make Flakes go faster and explained that he had to move up and down with the horse's steps when trotting, using the stirrups to get up in the saddle and sitting back down repeatedly. You could also stay seated when trotting but that was neither comfortable for the rider nor for the horse.

He watched in amazement that after a few jolty movements Levi got the rhythm already, moving up and down with Flakes' steps with increasing easiness. He had even thought about grabbing the reins a little shorter.

Erwin was highly pleased when the boy mastered gallop as well, both seating in the saddle and standing in the stirrups, bent over the horse's neck. Well… that was all there was that he could make the boy do, the rest was practice. So he put to tell the boy that he could slow down now – when Flakes suddenly sped up. The white horse raced along the fence, leaving the circle he had been moving in before, and his pace quickened even more. Erwin stared after him, his eyes widening. Shit. He was about to run after them but he knew that it would be pointless – he watched the galloping horse with his heart pounding hard against his chest, raking a hand through his hair nervously. He could only pray that Levi wouldn't fall off. He had never experienced Flakes kick out when somebody rode him and he really, really hoped that today wouldn't be the day that he decided to try it.

As the meadow was flat he could watch them reach the end of it and they made a loop, coming back to the front. Levi was still in the saddle and Erwin was already preparing to grab the horse's reins when he sped past – but… when the pair approached Erwin… he could see that Levi held the reins short. And he was bent low over the horse's neck. And… when he approached further, he got a look on the boy's face – there was no fear. Oh no. The boy was smiling, the wind whipping his unruly black hair around furiously. Erwin closed his eyes and heaved a relieved sigh when he realized that the boy had made Flakes run on purpose. Oh god, that might have cost him years of his life.

The two of them sped past him and made another loop, heading back to the far end of the meadow to race another round – Erwin could have sworn that he heard the boy laugh.

The white horse slowed down eventually after the second round, his cadence decreasing until he fell into trot and finally back to step, coming to a halt in front of Erwin. The white horse was breathing harshly through its nostrils and Levi was still smiling, his cheeks a little flushed from the exertion and the wind that had whipped into his face.

"That was amazing."

He sounded a little out of breath, too, and Erwin smiled, reaching out to pat Flakes' neck.

"That was scary. And dangerous." But he couldn't blame Levi, he had never said that he couldn't go faster, and he wasn't about to chide him. He was just relieved that nothing bad happened to either Flakes or Levi. The dark blue eyes were looking at him and the pale lips curled into a smirk. He took the reins into one hand and used the other to stroke the horse's sweaty neck.

"Were you afraid I would fall off?"

"Yeah. There's no cure for a broken neck.", Erwin said pleasantly.

The boy tzked and Erwin told him to march the horse for another while, that was highly needed after the crazy racing. Levi obeyed, making Flakes walk around Erwin to stay in earshot.

"Give me some credit, will you? I felt safe and I wanted to see what it is like… to just ride as fast as you could."

Erwin could comprehend where the desire had come from – his heart was still beating a little faster from the shock. He had really been worried about Levi. He smiled at the boy and left his spot on the meadow, walking over to hoist himself up to sit on the wooden fence.

"I can tell that this wasn't his top-speed. He can go faster if there're no fences around. Maybe, if we have time when we're back at the headquarters, we can go for a ride – and I can show you what the horses are really capable of."

Levi made another circle and approached Erwin, the look on his face gave away how much he was dying to do just that – race through the countryside on a horse's back, going as fast as possible. Erwin smiled at him when the boy halted the white horse next to him and reached out to pet Flake's forehead when the stallion craned his neck to sniff Erwin's hands.

"And I do give you credit, Levi. That was really amazing - I wouldn't have expected you to master this as quickly as you did. I'm kind of… proud of you."He really was, so far the boy was really doing great. If he proved to be as subtle with the other things demanded from the trainees Erwin had no concern about making him enter the training even though the other kids had already been trained for several weeks. Levi would still be ahead of them – provided he was as clever with the 3D-manouever-gear as with riding a horse.

Levi stared at him, then turned his head and poked his heels into the horse's flank, making Flakes walk again and hiding the blush that was creeping onto his face – Erwin had seen it, there was no denying it. He just smiled contently.

He let Levi ride another few rounds before swinging his legs over the fence, hopping off on the other side. He opened the gate from outside the meadow and let Levi pass him before closing the gate and falling into step with his horse. They headed back to the courtyard and Erwin made Levi dismount the horse in front of the stable. He looked at him in surprise when Levi swung his right leg over Flakes' neck and slid from the saddle, landing on his feet gracefully. That… was very unusual – and exactly the way Erwin sometimes dismounted when he felt a little giddy, just like when they had come back from the lord earlier. Maybe Levi had seen him do it from the window? He hadn't exactly set a good example, then.

"Actually you bend forward and swing your right leg over the horse's croup and slide back to the ground then." At the boy's bored look he laughed, holding up his hands defensively. "At least I told you like you're supposed to do it, in theory."

Levi looked up at him, his gaze almost piercing.

"I've never been one to do what you're supposed to."

Erwin couldn't argue with that and he just let the matter drop. Levi grabbed for the reins and lead Flakes back into the stable, waiting for Erwin to explain what you did with a horse after having ridden it.

They left the stable a little later, Flakes put back into his stall and all the things they had used put away. The white horse had been briefly groomed again and fed carrots, some oats and a bunch of hay which he was chewing on happily when they left. Erwin had also retrieved his jacket that he had draped over the wooden wall of Flakes' stall earlier

They returned to the garrison and walked up the stairs to get back to Erwin's quarters where he stretched, thinking about how to spend the three hours they had until they would be going down to the common room to eat again. On second though… he knew how to spend some of the time.

"I think I want to clean up." He had spent an awful lot of time grooming horses today, making him probably need another bucket of water and soap desperately. Levi looked up at him, his features unreadable.

"Can I… use the tub…?, he said, his voice carefully guarded.

Erwin smiled and nodded, gesturing in the bathroom's direction.

"Of course you can, that's what it's there for. Did you figure out how it works?" The boy frowned a little and Erwin took that as a cue that the answer was 'no'. "Come with me, I'll show you quickly."

The boy followed him to the bathroom and Erwin showed him the oven below the tub. "Just put wood in and light it with a match, then you pour the water. Test the temperature until it's warm enough for you and then just close off all the openings here to quench the fire slowly.", he said, showing the boy the leverage he had to actuate to enclose the fire. "The water stays warm for a while like that but won't get hotter." The bottom of the wooden tub consisted of a specially laminated material that warmed up but never get too hot to sit on it. Erwin had no idea how it worked but he had learned to appreciate it a lot.

Levi nodded, eyes roaming the leverage again to memorize where it was before fixing on Erwin. He smiled, reaching up to undo the gear's strap on his chest.

"Just give me some minutes in here, you can have the bathroom all to yourself for as long as you want afterwards."

The boy left, closing the door behind him, and Erwin continued his business.

When he came back to his office a little later, clad in clean clothes and his hair still a little damp he found Levi sitting on the broad window sill, his legs crossed underneath him. Dark blue eyes looked up when Erwin entered and he smiled, gesturing at the door to his bedroom in invitation.

"Bathroom's free. I already lit the fire and poured some water into the tub."

Levi blinked, uncrossed his legs and hopped off the window sill, walking over to the door. He threw Erwin a quick glance and ducked his head, mumbling '…thank you…' before he disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Erwin just smiled and went to sit at his desk, reaching for one of the unfinished reports. The boy was warming up… very slowly, but he did.

He got lost in his work, there was still so much left to do until they would return to their headquarters. But he was optimistic that he wouldn't have to take anything back with him there, he still had tonight and the next night and half a day on the day that they would leave Hermiha – that time should be sufficient.

By the time Levi returned from the bathroom he had another few reports done, the pile with the unfinished ones getting smaller slowly. He smiled at Levi, the boy had changed back into the clothes Erwin had bought for him, added by a scarf that he must have gotten in the morning. He was willing to bet that Vera had suggested the dark blue scarf, it went well with the lighter blue colour of the tunic and accentuated his eyes, too.

He glanced at the clock, they still had an hour until they were going to eat – that was enough time for starting with another lesson.

Levi, his unruly hair still damp but combed neatly, came over to him in a bee-line and Erwin smiled, patted the bearing surface of the chair next to him.

"Sit down, I want to show you something."

The boy arched one of his thin eyebrows and came over, sat down on the chair next to Erwin. He pulled his legs up and crossed them, resting his bent legs against the armrests of the chair. It occurred to him that Levi only did that when they were alone, he hadn't done it downstairs in the common room.

Taking a book from his desk he held the cover turned to himself, looking at Levi. He was going about this lightly, knowing if he went about it wrong he could cause a little explosion – and he wasn't in the mood for that, the day had been surprisingly peaceful and he wanted it to remain that way.

"I apologize in advance for being biased but I need to ask this. Have you, by any chance, ever been taught how to read and write?" He thought it was highly impossible if the boy had really spent all his life living on the streets but he wanted to make sure, preventing the book he wanted to give him to appear like an insult.

Levi's face went blank and Erwin already braced himself for a snippy remark when the boy lowered his eyes, placing his hands in his lap.

"I… have been told some things. Some letters… and numbers. But not too much."

Erwin was genuinely surprised by the boy's answer and he waited for him to elaborate a little further but was almost certain that he wouldn't. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it… Erwin would drop it, for now. Even though he couldn't deny that he was interested in the matter… who could have taught him letters and numbers when the boy claimed to have been living alone on the streets?

He refocused his attention on the boy and held out the book to him, making Levi look up at him.

"I got you something this morning. I hope it's not too much below your capacities, I made the mistake of assuming things that I should have clarified before."

The boy hesitantly took the book from his hands and looked at it, Erwin wondered if he could read what the front page said so he went to elaborate without stating the obvious.

"It's for practicing. It's good that you know some things already, that will make it a lot easier." He had gotten him a book that children worked with in school when they learned the alphabet and writing and reading their first words. Some basic skills of that would be required in military training and he wanted to make sure that Levi attained those basics until he would start his training. He had seen some comrades struggle when he had been in training himself, some hadn't been so lucky to have parents who could afford the education Erwin had been provided with.

He reached over and opened the book, turning a few pages.

"They make you write the individual letters and give you pictures with the content's word next to it, showing you how to pronounce the words that you see pictured. You should be able to recognize letters and sounds of syllables rather quickly that way."

Levi nodded and flipped a few pages himself before looking up at Erwin, his face carefully impassive.

"Why did you get me that?"

He smiled and leaned back in his chair, bending a leg to set the ankle of his foot on the other leg's knee.

"Because you'll need to read and write to some extent in your military training. Might as well start practicing now that you still have some time."

Apparently thinking about his words for a few seconds the boy was silent, speaking up again eventually.

"Will you send me to military training right after we leave Hermiha?"

His voice was bare of emotions and the dark blue eyes looked up at Erwin, still too impassive to not being regarded as a mask he was using to hide emotions he might be feeling. Erwin placed his hands in his lap and looked at him, unable to figure out the sudden need for the mask. He had already learned that most of the emotions he openly showed were masks to hide what he was really feeling. The bored expression he was so fond of hid confusion, his rage insecurity and pain. The impassiveness hid other things he didn't want others to see. Erwin had seen him without a mask when he was riding Flakes. Not only when he had smiled and laughed because the crazy racing had made his adrenaline explode – it was when he was really concentrating, just following Erwin's instructions and doing his best to do everything right. There he had been just himself.

"We'll stay at the Scouting Legion's headquarter to rest a day or two after the journey there. I'll take you to the nearest camp, then, there happens to be one just half a day's ride away, near Trost."

The boy nodded, then turned his attention back to the book in his hands. He looked around the desk, frowning at the things littering it and apparently couldn't find what he was searching for.

"Can I have a quill?"

Erwin thought a moment and reached out, moving folders around until he found another quill just below the undermost folder. He handed the quill to the boy who took it, the frown deepening when he saw the slightly disheveled state of the quill. He arched an eyebrow at Erwin and the older man grinned a little sheepishly, moving the ink so they could both dip their quills into it.

"It's a good quill, don't judge it because of its appearance."

The boy threw him a bored stare and made a vague gesture in the general direction of his desk.

"I don't judge the quill, I judge your chaos. How do you possibly find things? Do you even know which reports you already finished?"

Sometimes the boy's open bluntness took him by surprise and he needed a moment to have his reply ready.

"It's not chaos, I do perfectly well know where my things are. There's a sophisticated system behind all this which took me years to develop." He may have exaggerated a little with that last statement.

The boy arched his thin eyebrows and looked at him, that bored expression back on his face.

"Yeah, sure. You might master it but it's still chaos."

He turned his attention to the book and flipped back to the 6th page where he set to writing the letter 'A' in the lines provided for that, putting an end to their conversation. Erwin chuckled softly and got back to his own tasks.

The silence between them was a strangely comforting one, Erwin didn't mind the boy next to him at all. He usually was very uninspired by people being in his office when he tried to work but it was different with Levi. Maybe due to the fact that the boy didn't want his attention and stuck to his own work, being silent except for the scratching noise of quill on paper, but Erwin appreciated the company in a way. The boy didn't distract him, he just sometimes pushed the book into Erwin's field of vision and made him pronounce a letter that he didn't know before continuing to write said letter down.

They worked in silence until it was time for them to get downstairs to eat. Leaving their work to continue later they went downstairs to the kitchen and Erwin almost regretted bringing Levi there when the woman started fussing over the boy. They suggested giving the boy more food because 'O dear goddesses, you look starved to death!', but Erwin politely told them off, explaining that the boy was getting the special diet for a reason and that it was fine this way. To spare the boy more fussing he asked what they had prepared for the meal and they let themselves be distracted, filling things into bowls and putting it all onto a tray.

They were allowed to leave a little later, Erwin carrying another tray filled with food, most of it light food for Levi. He had asked for it insistently because he remembered the boy's reaction to eating a lot in the evening quite vividly and he didn't want a repetition of the previous night. So Levi got clear soup, vegetables, some chicken left over from lunch and a little bread. And, because the boy had nearly died of keeping himself from asking for it, another bowl of vanilla pudding. He was very fond of it, Erwin could tell.

They returned the dishes when they were finished and returned to Erwin's office to work for another little while. He noticed that the boy had an air of determination around him while he wrote his letters, he was fully concentrated and he worked efficiently, Erwin could tell. And he kind of admired his handwriting, it was very neat. He had some practice, it was visible in the way he wrote.

He called it a night another couple of hours later, knowing that he would get up very early in the morning. Rubbing his eyes he turned to the boy who was still curled up in the chair next to him, the book settled in his lap.

"You can stay up longer if you like, you're not bound to going to bed just because I do."

The boy looked at him for a few seconds and then shook his head, blowing the page he had been writing on softly to make the ink dry faster.

"No, it's fine."

Erwin nodded and got up from his chair, leaving the report he had half finished lie open on his desk. Levi frowned a little and blew at his page another time, carefully touching the ink to see if it was safe to close the book now. It seemed to be because he did just that, closing the book and placing it neatly in a corner of the desk. He placed the quill on top of it and sat up in his chair to put the lid on the vessel that contained the black ink. Erwin watched him, thinking to himself that he had discovered a really neat person. Admirable, in a way, because he wasn't and would never be a tidy person.

They moved to the bedroom and repeated the routine of the night before, Levi went to the bathroom first while Erwin changed and when he was back, already in the clothes that he slept in, it was Erwin's turn to use the bathroom.

When he came back a little later the boy sat cross-legged on his bed, looking up at Erwin – and he remembered that he had wanted to do something which he went to do a second later. He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a few more folded blankets, putting them on Levi's mattress. The boy frowned at him and then at the blankets.

"What are those for?"

Erwin just smiled softly and went back to his bed, sitting down on the edge of the mattress.

"To cushion up the wardrobe if you intent to sleep on top of it again."

It was obvious that Levi hadn't expected that, judging from the way he stared at Erwin before he averted his eyes, his cheeks blushing. He didn't thank him but Erwin didn't need him to, he just blew out the candle on the nightstand and slid beneath his covers, smiling. He heard the rustling of sheets and guessed that Levi was lying down, not climbing the wardrobe yet. Maybe he wouldn't do it at all, Erwin would see it in the morning.

He closed his eyes but opened them a few seconds later, deciding to ask now – not because he hadn't dared to while looking at Levi but to make the boy less uncomfortable. The matter might be touchy and he already prepared for the 'Mind your own business' as a reaction to his question.

"Who taught you the letters that you know?"

The 'Mind your own business' didn't come, he was met with a few seconds of silence before he heard the hesitant voice.

"I… lived with somebody for the first few years of my life, he taught me some things… but he died long time ago."

Erwin tried to fit that piece of information into the puzzle that Levi seemed to be, he got some little pieces every day that would maybe fit together perfectly one day.

So… he had lived with a man that apparently hadn't been family for some years, at least. That explained some things, his surviving his early childhood-days on the streets, for example. Erwin had already wondered how he had managed… it was hard for a teenager but nearly impossible for a child that was completely on his own. He wanted to ask the boy so many things because he was curious about it – but he didn't want to push the boy too much, knowing that the line between being concerned and being intrusive was a very thin one to walk on.

"I'm sorry." He just settled for what seemed appropriate.

He heard the rustling of sheets again, Levi shifted around in his bed. Silence enveloped the room for another little while until Levi spoke up again. The sound of his voice hadn't changed at all.

"Do you have a schedule for tomorrow?"

Whether the boy just deemed the topic dealt with or the subject was indeed a touchy one Erwin couldn't tell but he went along, he didn't see any use in insisting on talking about it. They would spend another few days together, maybe the boy would open up a little more – Erwin certainly wouldn't push him.

Closing his eyes he relaxed underneath the covers that warmed up due to his body heat, making lying there a lot more comfortable.

"I do – but you don't. Spend the day the way you want to, it's our last day here in Hermiha. You might want to do some things, go do them."

Erwin would have another meet-up with a noble in the morning and was planning to spend the afternoon with his sister.

"Just come back to eat, that's important." He didn't want the boy to buy food deliberately and stuff it into him as it would only make him sick again.

The boy just hmmed and Erwin felt sleep tug at his senses, making him turn to his side.

"Goodnight, Levi."

The boy repeated the words in a soft murmur and it didn't take Erwin long to fall asleep.

~*~

"As a matter of fact, we might need you here."

"Does the situation's urgency really call for this? We've just been through a restructuring… would it really be wise to cause a commotion yet again?"

"We're not talking about tomorrow, Dallis, but if suspicions substantiate we might need to act. And we want you to be prepared if we have to take action."

"Don't take my concerns for hesitance, I'd be honoured. I just think we should try to avoid drawing any kind of attention to us."

"I perfectly agree with you and we will keep this as close to the chest as possible."

"That's advisable, there are people who would strongly oppose any suchlike processes."

"Are you thinking about some people in particular?"

"I don't think that there're open activists around me, no. But you never know. We just need to be careful."

"There's no need to worry, it's not as if we weren't prepared for anything like this."

"That's true."

"Let's turn our attention to more enjoyable topics, then."

General agreement ran through the men sitting at the large table.

~*~ 

THIS CHAPTER WAS SO DAMN LONG. *suffocates slowly*  
And nothing really happened…  
But it was important, somehow, in some aspects.  
I hope you enjoyed reading this anyway!  
There will be some Levi background-information in the next chapter!  
And we’re getting near Erwin and Levi leaving Hermiha~ oh god, I’m really looking forward to having them at the headquarter~~ *__*  
<3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys~  
> I'm sorry about the late update (AGAIN) but I'm so busy at the moment that I didn't get much chances to write... BUT here it is, the new chapter~ <3  
> I won't say much, I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. XD  
> And thaaaaaank you for the continuing support, I really appreciate it~ it makes me happy! <3 *bows*

~*~

One of the few things that he could always rely on was his inner clock – once a rhythm had been burned into his system it was very hard to get rid of it again. Having been with the military for 7 years now had indeed established a lingering pattern that Erwin's body worked with; he would never sleep past the hour of roll call. While he wasn't necessarily obliged to line up with the other soldiers in the morning anymore, since he had been promoted corporal, he still woke up in time for it every morning. This could only be cheated by going to bed very early, in that case he would just wake up earlier. His body never really needed more than 6, 7 hours of sleep until it was rested.

He was happy about the accuracy of his inner clock – the only exceptions were holidays. There he would have gladly liked to turn it right off. But he usually didn't have troubles falling back asleep when he really didn't need to get up.

Waking up this morning he opened his eyes slowly he was pleased to see the room only sparely lit – it was too early for the sun to have risen above the horizon yet, it was still during dawn. Just as he had wanted it to be – he had gone to bed early because of a reason.

Turning his head to the side he learned that Levi had indeed climbed the wardrobe at some point during the night, he was faced with an empty bed again. The blankets were gone, too, so Erwin assumed that the boy had heeded Erwin's advice of using them to make the surface a little softer.

He sat up and set his feet on the wooden floor, getting up from the bed. Moving as silently as he could he walked over to the wardrobe and opened it to get a fresh change of clothes, closing the door quietly afterwards and walking into his bathroom. He didn't want to wake Levi, there was no need for him to be up yet.

He got dressed and made himself look presentable, shaved, brushed his teeth and combed his hair into its usual neat look. Leaving the bathroom after a final look into the mirror he went back to his bed to get into his boots. It had gotten lighter in the room by now, the sun was rising slowly and when he turned to walk to the door he stepped on his toes, checking the top of the wardrobe. To find it deserted. At least Levi was nowhere to be seen, the blankets were neatly folded except for the ones that he had used to mattress the wooden surface.

Erwin frowned, looking around the room even though he was certain that the boy wasn't here. While he had never said that Levi couldn't leave the room on his own he wondered about the boy's reason for doing so, especially since it was still so early. Where did he go? His things were still here, the additional shoes, the clothes he wore to bed and even the soap and the other things he had bought the day before were still neatly set on that shelf in the bathroom. He hadn't taken off, he was sure of that – and that was the crucial thing. .

Shaking off that strange feeling that he recognized as a mixture of worry and light anger he decided that Levi could very well wander around the town on his own and at the time that he wanted to, there was no need to worry about him – and much less it was Erwin's right to be angry, he himself had told Levi to spend the day the way he wanted to. Erwin was rather certain that the boy would show up for breakfast, wherever he had disappeared to.

He straightened his shoulders and left the bedroom, looking around his office briefly when he crossed it. Levi wasn't there, either – part of him had thought that maybe he was pouring over the book again. But he wasn't – he would be doing something else, then. Erwin closed the door behind him and walked along the hallway, leaving the garrison a minute later.

~*~

The sounds of rustling straw and of horses chewing on the haulms, of the occasional pawing of hooves were strangely calming to him. It was very quiet, peaceful even – there wasn't anyone around, Levi assumed that it was still way too early for feeding horses or cleaning their stalls. It wasn't quite night time anymore but not really daylight either, the twilight of dawn still all around.

He smiled slightly when a grey nose sniffed him and nuzzled his cheek, the white ears perked up at him. Maybe he wanted just another carrot – or Flakes was simply asking him: What are you doing down there? He wouldn't have had an answer for that question, though; Levi didn't really know himself. He had woken up a while ago, he had no idea what had made him. But he had felt uneasy, as if having dreamed about unpleasant things – he was very happy that he never really remembered the things he dreamed about.

He had tried but couldn't go back to sleep so he had left his spot on the wardrobe to get dressed. Being very careful not to wake the still sleeping corporal he had gotten ready, used the bathroom for a while and had left the room soon after. He had considered sitting on the broad window sill and write a few letters – but had decided to do otherwise and had directed his steps towards the stable. The perspective of getting outside of the building had calmed his restlessness a little. He disliked being inside, to the extent that it made him nervous.

When he had reached the stable he hadn't really planned to enter but found himself doing so anyway, making his way over to Flakes' stall. While feeding the tall horse a carrot he had stroked its long head, touching the long ears – and found himself sitting in the straw a minute later. He had found a clean spot that he found tolerable to sit in and leaned back against the stall's wall, closing his eyes.

And now he was still here, listening to the sounds of the horses and felt lulled by it all. He liked being here… the horse's company was so much more appealing to him than human's company could ever be. Even though, he had to admit, he didn't mind the corporal's company so much. He had a way of acting around Levi that made him mind him less, his way of taking insults from him without seeming weak for doing so, his awful consideration – and his infuriatingly manipulative behavior. It was scary how he predicted people's reactions – and yet Levi didn't feel threatened. Maybe he should have – but his instincts didn't tell him to run. He was far from trusting this man and he still confused the hell out of him because he just couldn't figure him out. The man's intentions were still unknown to him… but he was convinced that this man didn't mean to harm him in any way. And that was more than anyone had ever managed to make him feel. Since Johann, of course.

Refusing to go there (even though he would have to, taking into consideration what he would do today) he moved to get up. The first sunrays were slowly creeping above the horizon, announcing the beginning of the day. The stables would soon be invaded by human beings and Levi wanted to be gone by then, not in the mood for human company.

Flakes nudged him in the chest when he stood and Levi smiled slightly, patting the horse's long neck.

"I'm sure Erwin will come soon and coddle you with more carrots."

It had been a little surprising to see Erwin with the horse – he somehow hadn't expected them to be… attached to each other? Thinking about it it seemed natural, the soldiers of the Scouting Legion worked a lot with their horses, using them to fight titans – and still he hadn't thought that the corporal would take care of his horse himself. Seeing this had made Erwin Smith… more human, more believable when he said that he was just one of many soldiers – he regarded himself like that instead of insisting on his rank.

Giving the horse's shoulder another pat he left its stall, giving in to its begging and fed him another carrot. He liked Flakes – he seemed to like horses in general. He only wasn't looking forward to riding one again soon – Mike had been right, his behind really hurt. Along with the insides of his thighs, he seemed to have overexerted muscles that he rarely used otherwise and now they hurt.

He left the stable and went back to the main building, set on returning to Erwin Smith's office to write a few letters until the man woke up – when the very man passed through the corridor that he was heading for, fully dressed in his uniform and probably heading for the main entrance of the garrison. Levi frowned, knowing that it was still way too early for the man to have business-meetings. Also knowing that it was none of his business he didn't really hesitate before moving, following Erwin without really knowing why. He didn't catch up with the man, giving him a little head start before also leaving the garrison and trailing after him. Having gotten quite good at moving silently he was certain that he wouldn't be detected, Erwin walked towards his destination without turning back once.

The city was still very quiet due to the early hour, there were only a few people on the streets. Levi assumed that it was mostly shop owners who were cleaning und preparing for opening the little shops later. He also assumed that it wasn't market day today, the streets would be full of people and little stands where people sold food, fabric, dishes, animals and other things. Levi would always keep far away from it all, hating crowds and people in general.

Erwin turned right at the next possibility and Levi frowned slightly, he had no idea where the man was heading.

It became clear after another little while of walking when Erwin left the labyrinthine network of streets and dived into rays of sunlight that flooded the vast free clearance the street opened into. He walked across the cobbled open space, pigeons were taking off with swishing wings when he came near them. The sounds of his brown boots' heels echoed from the surrounding houses' walls in the silence of the morning and Levi stared after him, still standing at the end of the street. Erwin was heading for the reverend building in the middle of the free space, surrounded by patches of green and low fountains.

The church.

He frowned – that was the very last of his expectations. Not really knowing what he did expect, maybe Erwin wanting to buy something very early or maybe even meeting a woman, this genuinely surprised him. The corporal actually caring for church and mass… seemed completely out of character.

Was he going there to pray? To talk to a priest and confess whatever he felt bad about? To be honest, after all he knew about Erwin… none of this sounded like something the corporal would do, it seemed out of character.

Hesitating another second he watched Erwin walk up the many low stairs that lead up to the imposing building, making up his mind – and pushed away from the wall to follow Erwin. Curiosity might kill the cat… but he wanted to know.

Of course he had known about the existence of this place but he had never really been here before because of lacking reasons. Never having thought of entering a church the only thing interesting here were the fountains that he found beautiful – and just looking at those wasn't worth coming here, especially since this place was bound to be filled with people once the day started.

Making wiggly lines around patches of flowers and fountains he walked up the broad stairs a minute later, opening the heavy portal of the church as quietly as he could. Maybe there was an early mass and Erwin chose to take part in it?

But when he entered the building with hesitant steps, looking around him warily, he found the central aisle of the church rather empty, there were just a few people scattered in the wooden benches that were organized equispacedly and separated by a corridor in the middle. There was a group of people in the front, not quite where the altar was set up, a little in front of that. They were taking seats there, on the left and right of the corridor leading up to the altar that was elevated and could be accessed by walking up a few marble steps. The people were sitting in ranks and Levi squinted his eyes to see if Erwin was among them – which he wasn't. Levi spotted him in one of the lines of wooden benches instead, his brown leather jacket and the blond undercut were distinctive. He was sitting in one of the rear benches close to the aisle, not too far away from Levi and he ducked behind a high column to not stand there as if waiting to be detected. The blond corporal looked straight ahead, seemed to be waiting for something – and when the people in the ranks stood up, took up their sheets and started singing it became obvious what Erwin was doing here.

So… he was really going to mass…? But… somehow it was very empty for mass, he had always thought that there were a lot of people attending those. And there was… no priest? There was just the choir…

Levi let his eyes travel through the central aisle, feeling awed and intimidated by the height of the room. The ceiling wasn't flat, it was organized in square vaults and the central aisle was lined with high columns that merged jointlessly into the ceiling. There were sculptures on little protrusions attached to the columns, all made of stone. The heavy stone walls were lined with colourful windows that lit the whole room in a diffuse yet warm light. Directing his eyes to the front of the church he saw all golden edges and marble, everything was exquisite – but not overload.

Above the altar three flags were attached to the ceiling on long chains, the expensive cloth swinging back and forth softly whenever they got caught in a little movement of air.

The portraits of the three goddesses: Maria, Rose and Sina.

The whole atmosphere was filled with the same awe that had settled in his heart, the choir's singing only adding to that feeling. Listening to the harmonic voices was making him want to close his eyes, just reveling in the sounds – he didn't understand a word, they were singing in a foreign language that he had never heard before. But their singing was truly beautiful, they didn't need any instruments to have Levi caught up in it completely.

Levi hesitated another brief moment, pondering if he was about to do something stupid – but decided that he didn't really care.

He left the column he had been hidden behind and walked down the aisle with silent steps, eventually sitting down in one of the rows of benches – right next to corporal Erwin Smith. The blond man opened his eyes when Levi slid into the wooden furniture, turning his head to see who had joined him. His eyebrows wandered up towards his hairline and he stared at Levi in surprise– but didn't seem to be angry. Levi held his gaze for a moment and then looked away from him, leaning back against the wooden back rest. His eyes wandered up to the flags and he watched them while he listened to the clear voices of the singers. He remarked that the corporal had his hands in his lap, fingers entwined loosely – he was not praying or anything. He just seemed to listen to the choir.

He felt his own eyes slide shut and he crossed his arms loosely in front of his stomach, getting as comfortable as possible on the hard wood. Closing his eyes didn't feel strange here – and somehow, as much as he hated to admit it, Erwin's presence added up to the feeling of security. Tightening his lips for a brief moment he pushed those thoughts away, deciding to just enjoy the music for how long it lasted.

It lasted a while even though Levi couldn't say how long, being completely lost in the different voices that harmonized so well. There were male and female voices alike, sometimes they formed two groups and only the woman were singing, then the men again, sometimes repeating the same passages several times. And even though Levi didn't understand a word he was fascinated by the singing, the atmosphere almost being a divine one. He felt fully relaxed, leaning back against the wood and having his eyes closed the whole time, just letting the music carry him away.

When the singing came to an end, smoothly, the last note muting down until it was too soft to be heard anymore, he slowly opened his eyes, blinking. There were a few moments of perfect silence in the high hall of the church, people seemed to be recovering from their dream-like state, just as Levi was, until they started getting up, rustling of cloth and footsteps echoing from the stone walls. Some people went for the portal of the church, others went to the front towards the singers, maybe to go talk to them.

Levi turned his head and looked up at Erwin, finding the bright blue eyes looking right back at him. He huffed and turned his gaze back to the front of the church where the singers gathered up their things and slowly disbanded.

"It was beautiful, wasn't it?"

The question surprised him, he had expected Erwin to ask him what he was doing here – it was obvious that he had followed him here, after all. But he wasn't going to ask him, if he wanted to give him a piece of his mind about it he would, Levi was sure of that. Glancing at him from the corner of his eye he saw the corporal shift his attention to the front of the church as well, his fingers still loosely entwined in his lap.

"It was."

He saw him smile from the corner of his eye.

"I always come to listen to them when I'm here in Hermiha. It's their early morning practice, they have it twice a week. You can also listen to them in the afternoon but the church is very crowded then."

Levi nodded, he could imagine that losing himself in the music with tons of people around wouldn't be as easy as it had been just now.

His eyes swept the three flags gently swaying back and forth above the altar and he jerked his chin into their direction.

"Do they sing about the walls?", he asked the coporal, wondering if the man understood the foreign language the choir had sung in.

Erwin shook his head, though, watching the portraits of the female goddesses for a few seconds before looking at Levi. "No. The songs they're singing are way older than the walls, they're relicts of a world without titans. The language they're using is, too, it's called Latin. The songs have been forbidden for a while, being part of the legacy of the old world which the government would so much like to eradicate, but as nobody knows what the song's say they lifted the ban. We only have the texts but no translations for them – some people think Latin might have been the language of the church back then."

Levi listened to him with interest, frowning slightly at the last comment.

"But… if it WAS the language of the church back then, wouldn't it be… wrong to sing the songs to the goddesses?"

Cerulean eyes were giving him an almost incredulous stare which he returned blankly, not really understanding the reaction he was receiving. Erwin blinked and frowned a little, giving the three flags a thoughtful stare before shifting his attention back to Levi

"Well… no. Those three,", he pointed at the flags,"- are not necessarily regarded as goddesses. The person telling you that they were didn't express the general idea but his own belief. For most people Maria, Rose and Sina are the wall's names, represented by women's portraits – but they're not deified. There is a small group, the Wall Cult, only they do that."

Levi frowned at him, shooting the flags a confused stare before looking back at Erwin.

"So this church hasn't been built for them? Why are the flags in here, then?", he asked, this confused him. He had always thought that the women were goddesses and that people prayed to them - Johann used to do it.

Erwin shook his head, inclining it a little afterwards.

"This church wasn't built for them, no. Their portraits are in here because of the walls' significance, it's an expression of our gratefulness for the protection they offer. Their pictures are set up in about every official building, not only in churches, without any religious reasons."

Eying the flags again his frown deepened, he still didn't get it. "So… who has this church been built for?" If it wasn't built for Maria, Rose and Sina… there had to be another reason.

Erwin sighed and turned back to the front of the church.

"I don't think anybody knows. In former times there was said to be a god, a protective and good god who forgave sins and loved all people. But… can you imagine anybody still believing in tales like that? After all that happened to mankind? I can't. There may be fatalists saying that this is all part of a greater plan, a part of destiny – but those don't seem to attract many followers. I think church is rid of a divine presence at the moment."

Levi thought about his words, trying to come to a conclusion what he thought about it all. Which was a rather easy one.

"Protective god… bullshit. Wall-goddesses… same bullshit. I don't believe in anything –we're in this mess all alone and have to dig our way out with bare hands. Prayers won't help anything." Devotion to something he couldn't see or feel was utterly pointless.

When the corporal turned back to him the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smile and he moved to get up.

"That pretty much sums it all up. I only come here to hear the choir sing, if they sang in the town hall I'd go there. Maybe the sound wouldn't be as great without the echo, though."

Levi got up and stepped out into the corridor, allowing Erwin to leave the bench as well. He had been right, after all; the man being religious in any form, kind or shape was completely out of character. Johann had been, though.

They walked down the aisle together, leaving the church and walking down the steps. It was then that Erwin addressed him again, distracting him from the fact that the once empty space around the church was now filled with people.

"Who did tell you that Maria, Rose and Sina were goddesses?"

He sounded genuinely interested and Levi pressed his lips into a thin line for a moment, looking around them. The space wasn't really crammed with people but it was enough to make him feel uncomfortable. His eyes already made out the quickest way back into the shadows of the narrow streets leading away from the open space.

"The same who taught me letters and numbers. This way." Grabbing Erwin's wrist he urged the corporal to change his course, intent on avoiding the main streets. Erwin didn't seem to mind, letting Levi pull him along and trailing after him. He let go of the man's wrist and Erwin caught up with him, matching his steps with Levi's.

"He was a member of the Wall Cult, then?"

Levi shrugged, feeling much calmer now that they were making their way through the narrow streets. Even though he didn't know this part of the city so well his sense of direction told him where to go.

"I don't know. Maybe. I was too young to understand any of that. He just made it seem like everyone believed in the three goddesses… I've never heard of a Wall Cult before."

Erwin seemed to be just going along with him, Levi couldn't tell if he knew the way back or if he relied on Levi knowing it. Just because he could he decided to find out, taking a wrong turn at the next junction.

"They are a small group of people worshipping the walls like goddesses. They have their own masses, prayers, poetry and songs. It's quite interesting but they tend to get a little bothersome - I think it's better to go right here."

Erwin had stopped at the junction and pointed towards the right street with both pointers, smiling softly. Levi just nodded, following the way Erwin suggested. He did know where he was, after all.

"As I was saying, they're bothersome because they're getting agitated every time the government decides to change something about the walls. At the moment a huge discussion is going on because the Scouting Legion wants to have canons on top of wall Maria and the Cult is strongly opposing us."

Levi frowned, looking up at Erwin. "Why do they have a problem with canons? Might be good to fend off titans?"

He got a smile from Erwin for the last comment, accompanied by a nod.

"Yeah, that's what we think, too. But the Cult insists that the walls shall remain untouched and arming them with canons would mean altering them a little, we'd need rails up there to make the canons maneuverable easily… actually nobody would care about the Cult's opinion if there weren't a few influential nobles among them. For that reason we're still in negotiations about it."

Levi shook his head, sneering slightly.

"They're full of shit. Walls remaining untouched… my ass. It's walls for god's sake, the more they're equipped with the better. Throw the whole bunch off wall Maria and see if they still insist on fucking untouched walls then… They'd probably be happy about every damn canon."

Something about his words made Erwin laugh and when Levi looked at him the cerulean eyes sparkled a little mischievous.

"I bet they would be. The whole argument is utterly ludicrous."

It wasn't just ludicrous, it was the silliest thing Levi had ever heard. They were surrounded by titans… and they really wanted to prevent the Scouting Legion from upgrading their defenses? They deserved to be shot just for the suggestion.

By the time they arrived at the garrison Levi's stomach was rumbling and he shot Erwin a glare when the man chuckled, entering the building with a huff. Erwin took a moment to greet the guards politely and joined Levi to go to the kitchen and get their food.

It was a little scary to have a bunch of women fuss about him but they were very nice, giving him huge portions of food and informing him that they had made vanilla pudding for him again. He thanked them, his mouth watering when their tray was filled with bowls.

They sat down at a free table a little later, the room was full of soldiers sitting together in small groups, talking to each other. Erwin scattered the bowls on the table and Levi inspected the ones he pushed over to him, finding fish and vegetables and eggs apart from the bowl filled to the brim with the pudding. He also got tea and milk again.

He didn't waste any time and dug into the food, hungrily eating all of it. There wasn't anything that he couldn't eat with just a fork so nothing slowed him down. After all the years he had mostly spent hungry it felt fucking good to eat so much food, to fill his stomach until it almost hurt. If it wasn't for Erwin admonishing him he would devour all the things he could get his hands on… but they both knew how that ended.

Mike passed by their table when Levi was halfway through his food; he wasn't smiling but his eyes were giving away his amusement.

"How's the backside?"

Levi narrowed his eyes and shot him a glare before returning his attention to his vegetables, choosing to ignore the man. He heard him chuckle softly, saying not without a hint of complacency, "Told you so. I'll see you later, Erwin.", and then he left the room. Levi just kept on eating, shooting Erwin another nasty glare when the man had the audacity to repeat Mike's question. He reckoned that to be enough of an answer.

By the time Erwin spoke up again he was starting on the vanilla pudding, eager on eating the whole of it.

"What are your plans for today?"

He glanced up into the cerulean eyes for a moment and then back down to gather up a spoonful of the pudding.

"Taking care of some things."

He looked up again when the other man cleared his throat, the blue eyes watching him intently made Levi frown slightly.

"Just refrain from… taking care of anyONE, okay?" His voice dropped really low on the last words, he was making sure that nobody overheard them. Levi glanced in both directions suspiciously anyway before replying.

"I'll try.", he said dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching when the blond's gaze turned a tad bit worried. "I won't." There wasn't anybody that he had open accounts with or something like that.

"Good." The smile was back on the man's face and they continued eating, Levi quickly finished off his food. Erwin told him that he would go see another noble during the morning and that he would like to eat together again which was fine with Levi. He didn't intend to stay out too long, there was just one thing that he had to do.

Levi was sipping his milk when the room grew a lot quieter all of a sudden and he frowned, turning his head to see what had caused the chatter of the soldiers to cease. He was met with the sight of commander Zacklay entering the room and he couldn't help but grimace, he still didn't like the man.

The commander greeted his soldiers and, much to Levi's disdain, made his way over to their table. Erwin smiled at his superior and stood up in a display of respect, just like the other soldiers had done, too; Levi didn't move a muscle. He only watched the man while taking another sip of his milk. Receiving a stern glance from Erwin he merely raised an eyebrow and leaned back on his chair, making it more than clear that he wouldn't show his respect to a man who had done nothing to earn it.

Zacklay shot Levi a glance and then turned his attention to Erwin, choosing to ignore him which was fine by him. He just sipped his milk, listening to them exchange good-morning-wishes with only half an ear because he was just not plain interested in anything Zacklay had to say.

"I know this is at very short notice but I'd like you to accompany me to a function tonight. I would like to make you acquainted with a few people. You didn't plan anything else tonight, did you?"

Judging from the hint of reluctance shadowing the man's expression Erwin did, indeed, have something else planned for the evening. The change in his features being minimal and momentary Levi doubted that Zacklay had even perceived it, and Erwin's smile was already firmly set back in place.

"No, I didn't. Thank you for inviting me, Dallis. When should I be where?"

Of course he couldn't turn his commander down no matter what he had initially planned for the evening – poor guy, Levi thought to himself.

"Meet me at seven out front, we will walk there. It's not far and I'm sure Lady Anne won't stint on wine. Even you won't be able to pass this time."

The commander laughed at the slight grimace Erwin's face contorted into and gave Erwin a pat on the back.

"I'll see you later, Erwin."

The blond man nodded and Zacklay turned around to leave, giving Levi a disapproving look that he returned equally antipathetic. He left without another word and Erwin sat back down, looking after Zacklay; the look he was giving him was quite unreadable but Levi could tell that his happy-face looked different. Taking another sip of his milk he watched Erwin go back to drinking his coffee, deciding to point out something that was going through his mind.

"You don't drink?"

It was hard to imagine soldiers not drinking when being at a function – they didn't refrain from dinking while being on duty, either. But Levi could only say so for the Stationary Guard and the Military Police, before Erwin had decided to turn his life upside down and shake it violently he had never seen a soldier of the Scouting Legion.

Erwin looked over to him and shook his head, pouring himself a second cup of coffee.

"I try to avoid it as much as possible."

The scouting Legion seemed to be different… or at least Erwin Smith was different. Or he plainly couldn't hold his liquor.

"Where have you been this morning?"

Frowning slightly he tried to decide if he wanted to answer the man's intrusive question – but the fact that he had followed Erwin around and hadn't even been reproached for it made the question appropriate.

"Stable."

He could tell that Erwin hadn't expected that, the blond blinked and inclined his head a little before his lips spread into a slight smile.

"I take it that you like horses, then."

He did, apparently. Horses still were the more pleasant company compared to human beings. And considering what he would be doing until he died it might be an advantage to feel that way.

"It would be a bad thing to dislike horses when fighting titans with them."

Erwin hadn't expected that, either, his look turned into a stare for a few moments until he had his expression back in check, the frown replaced by the same slight smile he was often smiling.

"Yeah… that's true."

Levi didn't really know what to make from his reaction and chose to finish his milk instead, starting to put his used dishes back onto the tray afterwards.

They left the common room a little while later and returned their dishes to the kitchen before separating like the day before. Erwin wished Levi a pleasant morning and then turned to head for the stable while he left the garrison through the front gate. He wasn't in a hurry, having all morning to do what he had to do.

If walking through Hermiha's streets the day before had felt strange he didn't know how to name the feeling was having that day. This… was the last day he spent here. He might not be gone forever but he certainly wouldn't see Hermiha for the next few years. While he didn't feel attached to the city itself he still had spent his whole life here – all his memories had been created in the city's narrow roads, in its filth and noisiness. He certainly wouldn't miss it… but he felt strange about leaving. Losing his knowledge of the terrain he was walking on, the ability to tell what time it was from the noises in the city alone, all familiarity that was so important for his survival was scaring him – leaving here would be the end of a chapter in his life. And also the beginning of a new one. He was looking forward to it, in a way… Erwin was right, this was a chance for him. To prove himself, to leave a decade of cruelty, poverty and death behind him – and to free himself from the bonds this city had on him, literally and figuratively. The man opened a new path for him – and Levi finally understood the man's word when he had said: 'Sometimes it needs submission to gain freedom.' That was exactly what was required from him, wasn't it? Submitting to rules and a system of power to enable him to fight for freedom?

He left the bright main-street and dove into the shadows of the network of narrow alleys, choosing this path on purpose. His alertness rose by a good portion and he felt for the knife that was hidden in his belt. He didn't think that he would need it in broad daylight but in the unlikely case that he would he had it with him. The dark streets never were to be underestimated.

While he was walking his thoughts went back to the conversation he had had at breakfast, realizing something when he replayed it in his head. Erwin… had been surprised when he had made it obvious that he anticipated fighting titans. Which made him realize… that apparently he had already made his choice about choosing a military branch after the training. He thought about it for another while and came to the conclusion that if he was really going to be a soldier he wouldn't want to be repairing walls – and even less to spend his days drinking with the Military Police. While fighting titans and most likely being eaten by them didn't sound too appealing in his own ears but he stuck to his own words: He wasn't afraid of things bigger and more powerful than he was – and if he got the chance to fight for his freedom and the chance to maybe, one day, leave the walls without having to worry about titans, he would take it. He understood Erwin very well for his desire to DO something.

Softly shaking his head he wondered how Erwin had been able to get to him like this. A few days ago… the only thing he had been thinking about was how to get his next meal without being killed doing that – and here he was musing about the freedom of mankind and that he would like to contribute to that. Well, it was his own freedom he would be fighting for, but mankind would profit from that as well.

That man… had fucked with his head quite badly, he thought darkly. And still, he was… thankful. Erwin seemed to see something in him that Levi didn't, he had actually told him that he was 'kind of PROUD' of him… he had never once heard that in his life before. It made him feel weirdly… happy? Content? He didn't even know how to name the feeling spreading in his chest when he thought of it, he just knew that he wanted to do what he could to never make Erwin stop being kind of proud.

He walked through the streets for another little while, knowing them all by heart. Every stone, every plank and every plant growing on them was familiar, he knew where it was better to use a tree or a ledge in the wall to hoist him up onto a low roof because taking the street would take him so much longer. This was where he had grown up, where he had learned everything he knew.

The more he advanced into the poorer parts of the city the shabbier the buildings got, the dirt of people not knowing what to do with it littering the narrow streets. The smell changed, too and Levi was surprised that it offended his nose more than ever. He had gotten used to his new, much cleaner surroundings very quickly – a few days ago this smell had been not pleasant but normal for him.

He felt the need to speed up, jumping on top of a box where somebody kept firewood in to climb the wall of a building, using his knife to get on top of the roof with a few practiced movements. The wound on his thigh that he wrapped with bandages every day after washing stung a little but that did nothing to stop him, he started running across the roof as soon as he got to his feet gracefully. Using the drive gained from running he pushed off the bricks at the end off the roof and jumped onto the next roof, continuing his run. At the end of it he jumped down, using a balcony's banister to land on and pushed off it again to grab the next roof's edge and climbed up. He continued across another few houses, passing places where he had slept before. He wasn't really seeing roofs, he was seeing his clear path across them, using what he could to advance without slowing down. Rods, balconies, ledges, clotheslines, whatever it was. The wind was whipping his hair around and his heart beat fast and strong in his chest. It wasn't so much the rush of adrenaline his moves caused but the physical strain that came with them– and he enjoyed it, feeling more alive than he had in days. It was like racing across that meadow behind the garrison on Flakes' back, uncatchable and feeling strong and safe because of that.

He jumped off the roofs at a convenient place, using another balcony to half the height of the fall and landed safely on his feet, falling back into even steps. He was panting and even felt a little sweaty which he crinkled his nose at. He definitely needed a bath when he got back to the garrison.

He went even deeper into the slum-like neighborhood, having to trespass it all on the way to his destination. Still being a little lost in his thoughts because he passed places where he had a memory connected to he let his feet chose their path, knowing they would lead him to the right place in the end.

Turning around a corner he slowed down, realizing where his steps had lead him, and stopped in front of a little wooden shack whose roof had come down for the most part. He took a deep breath and fought an internal battle whether to just pass the pile of wood – but decided that he could as well enter. He would have to confront the topic sooner or later that day anyway.

He stepped forward and pulled back a piece of cloth that seemed to be there deliberately but actually covered the only entrance to the room hidden behind it. Crawling inside he stilled, letting his eyes adjust to the darker surroundings while reaching for his knife. He wasn't afraid that the roof would come down for good, it had been like this for years – but he could never be sure that there wouldn't be somebody else in here, seeking shelter. There were a few corners in the room where you wouldn't get wet when it was raining, that were protected from the worst wind when icy breezes were howling through the streets. Nobody owned the place and Levi rarely used it, there were always chances that other people had found this place.

By the time his eyes had adjusted Levi looked around the room, not seeing anything suspicious. He still got up carefully, moving around silently with his knife drawn until he had made sure that he was alone. He let go of the breath he had been holding in and tucked the knife back into his belt, raising his head to look around again. Nothing had changed since he had been here last time – just the thick layer of dust that covered everything had become even thicker.

Moving forward he viewed the middle of the room, threading around the broken planks on the floor where the tumbled roof had shattered them, and came to a halt in front of the wooden column that once had carried the roof. He reached out a hand, closed his eyes and touched the rough wood softly, moving his fingertips around until he felt the short lines he had carved into the column. Retracing them he counted to eleven silently, one line for every spring he had seen. He had to move his hand down the column to feel all of them because he had grown over the years, which had caused him to make the carves above each other instead of next to each other.

'How old am I?'

Johann had looked at him with his dark eyes, smiling softly. He had tousled his hair, too.

'I don't know, Levi. When I've found you you weren't a baby anymore so it's hard to say.'

He had looked at the old man, thinking about his words.

'Hmm… but isn't it important? How old are you?'

'The age you feel is important, numbers are just… giving you the impression that you have control over things. Which you don't. I've stopped counting the years because it's pointless to me.'

He had frowned at him, not really understanding what the man was trying to say.

"But I would like to know…"

Johann had sighed then, contemplating him for a few seconds before his face lit up.

'You could carve a line into the column over there,' He had pointed at the column bracing the weight of the roof. '…for every spring that you see. Like that you know how many years have passed when counting the lines.'

He had blinked and looked at the column, nodding slowly in understanding.

'What is spring?'

Johann had laughed and pointed outside through the entrance of the shack.

'The season that starts now. It's when the trees grow their green leafs back after having lost them all during winter.'

Having learned a new word he had gotten up, taken the knife Johann had offered him and carved the first of eleven lines into the column.

Levi hadn't realized that he had opened his eyes and looked at the place where they had sat years ago, eating bread and talking about time. He had been really small in age and size back then, judging from the first carve had had made in the column, but time had been a thing he had thought about a lot. Maybe because it had been the only thing he had plenty of.

Tearing his gaze away he looked back at the column, knowing that he wouldn't be here next spring to make the 12th carve. Maybe he would carve something else instead, something mobile, and then always add the new carves to the eleven he knew were here.

Letting his hand fall back to his side his eyes wandered to another corner of the dimly lit room and he shivered, raising his hands to rub his arms even though he wasn't cold. He knew that if it wasn't for the thick layer of dust covering them the planks would still be stained over there, the red colour most likely having faded away with the years. He could still hear the tormented man's stertorous breathing in his ears, the hoarse words that made Levi promise him. He could still see man's broken body, the bloody hand that reached into his clothes and grabbed for it, his trembling lips explaining what he should do with it. The pain-filled voice that pleaded with him to cease his suffering, the weak, shaking fingers handing him the knife that he could barely carry anymore – the ugly gurgling sound he made, the twitching body when he did as he wanted, silently crying when slitting the man's throat.

Johann had been the first man he had ever killed. He had carved his third line into the column the spring before when he had returned to the shack one evening to find Johann dying in the corner, sliced open and left out to bleed to death with no chance on healing.

Levi blinked and hastily raised his hand to wipe away two single tears from his cheeks, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. He had known that today would dig up everything … he just hadn't expected it to still hit him like this, after all the years that had passed since then. He shook his head softly, willing the memories to go back where he usually stored them, in the far back of his mind.

Straightening his shoulders he took a trembling breath and turned around, moving back to the entrance of the shack to crouch down and crawl out of it. He didn't feel the urge to flee from this place, he had returned to make his carve there every year – he needed to come back sometimes. To show Johann that he was still alive? Maybe, he didn't know. He hadn't left the place because he had killed Johann there – he had left because of being afraid that whoever had done this to Johann would come back to kill him, too. Johann had told him to stay away from this place when he had raised a weak hand to stroke his hair for the last time.

The brightness outside blinded him for a few seconds and he squinted his eyes to protect them from the overflow of light, feeling pale sunrays caress his body and he shivered again. Opening his eyes slowly he turned on his heel to continue on the way to his destination, leaving the shack and the cold grasp of its memories behind him – it wasn't far now. He could already hear the plashing noises of the little brook.

The city was traversed by a large river that had been straightened and made accessible for ships, trading and transportation was possible because of that. However, there was a little branch of the river that was left in its natural state – and that was the little brook meandering through the poorer parts of the city. Levi had always been thankful for it, the brook provided them with water and at least a basic way of washing.

He turned around another corner and walked straight ahead to the end of the street – and found himself near the bank of the little stream.

The peacefulness and tranquility of the place was almost unreal after the things he had just replayed in his mind and he welcomed it, drowning in the sounds of the running water and the chirping of the birds sitting on the branches of the trees scattered around. Some tree tops were leaning heavily over the water and colourful leaves were falling down onto the sparkling surface when he wind blew them from the branches, relieving the trees of their dead excrescences. It almost made Levi smile – he had spent a lot of time here. Getting water or washing or just sitting here listening to that strip of nature in the middle of the city. Johann had been sitting with him here often, teaching him letters and numbers – it had been here that he had explained to Levi that his name was actually written Rivai. Johann had taken the liberty to call him Levi because he couldn't pronounce it in the original way. He had made Levi read the letters he had written down after naming them for him and Levi's tongue had formed the according pronunciation, making Johann smile and tell him that this was the way his name should sound like.

Levi took a deep breath and went over to one of the trees growing close to the water, the thick roots partly reaching into the soil underneath the plashing brook. Stepping onto them he balanced on them to get to the part of the trunk that faced the brook, grabbing a few lower branches to steady him. Looking up he pushed himself off the ground and grabbed a strong branch to hoist himself up there, repeating the action until he was high up in the tree top. In an arbitrariness of nature the trunk there split into three thick branches that deliquesced into smaller branches that formed the tree top, creating a small gap between the three sprouts that was just broad enough to allow a small hand to reach inside. Levi did just that, tentatively feeling around on the moss until his fingertips hit metal. He closed his fingers around it and pulled his hand out, looking down at the chain he had just extracted from the tree trunk. Wind and rain did reach into the little gap and he wiped his thumb over the uneven surface of the pendant to clean the worst off it, crinkling his nose when he just smeared the dirt across the pale golden metal.

Closing his fingers around the chain once again he climbed back down, being careful as he could use just one of his hands. He crouched down as soon as he was back on the roots of the tree, holding the chain into the clear water and scrubbing the grime of time and shifting sediments off the metal. When he was done the chain sparkled in the sunlight, he lifted it from the water to look at it.

A pale golden chain with a rectangle-shaped pendant that bore the emblems of the walls, Maria, Rose and Sina.

The chain that Johann had given him a little while before he had died.

The chain that he had grabbed with a bloody, shaking hand. The chain that he had made Levi promise he would hide until he felt strong enough to protect it.

Running his thumb over the skillfully carved out emblems he shook his head lightly, getting up. He had no idea why the chain was worth protecting – Johann had said that it wasn't worth anything in money, just in meaning. Levi had never understood his words – maybe it had to do with his believing in the goddesses, maybe the pendant had been important to him because of religion? Levi didn't know – he just knew that it had been Johann's last wish and he had fulfilled it. So far, at least. He had never wanted to wear it, afraid that he might lose it or that it was stolen from him because somebody thought it was worth more than it really was. It had been hidden up in the tree top for the last 8 springs – and as Levi was leaving Hermiha tomorrow he had needed to retrieve it.

He turned around and started walking back towards the street he had left a little while ago, putting the chain around his neck and then underneath his shirt and scarf. He would just wear it for now, that was safer than carrying it around in his pocket.

He sensed that he was no longer alone before he actually saw him step out of the shadows of the street and it only took his alertness fractions of seconds to snap back into place. His steps slowed down a little but he kept them even, his attention focused on the tall man without being too obvious about it. The other continued on his way, as well, and Levi watched him doing so. Was he heading for him? He had never seen the man before, clad in black and looking well-kept – he wondered what he was doing here of all places, his suspicions and the tendency to be paranoid kicking in immediately and making him gear up, his body tense and ready to snap into action at any moment.

Never once taking his eyes off the stranger he continued walking towards the street – he would just walk by him, there was no reason for the man to even cast a closer look his way. Somewhere inside him his intuition told him to stop trying to fool himself.

His intuition never failed him. It was the moment when they had almost reached each other and the tension in Levi's body its peak that the other man spun into action, pulling a bat and lashing out at Levi. And it was only due to his quick reflexes that the man missed him by an inch or two – he might have ended up with a few cracked ribs. Jumping back he had his knife in his hands within fractions of seconds, moving his feet into a steady position to dart off and lash out at the man as long as he was still slightly off balance. Without any doubt the other was a skilled fighter, he dodged Levi's slashing movement and threw out a leg to kick at Levi's own, intending to make him stumble. He avoided the hit by jumping to the side, bringing his knife down again and almost got the man if it wasn't for him launching to the side, using his shoulder to roll off and landing gracefully back on his feet. Levi jumped back to get more distance between him and the other man, moving into a defense position. He stared at the man in the black clothes, blood rushing in his ears and his heartbeat racing in his chest, he was panting.

The man looked straight back at him, a small smile contorting his lips that were surrounded by a neatly trimmed beard, his dirty blond hair almost reached his shoulders. He circled the hand holding the bat and got into position as well, the smile broadening slightly.

"We finally meet at last."

Refusing to even think about the strangeness of his words he stared at him, keeping his full attention on the man – but his mind registered that there was something off about the way he spoke. It was exactly the same way off as Levi's own pronunciation was, too.

For a few seconds neither of them moved, their eyes silently assessing each other for clues on what the other would do next. Levi concentrated on breathing calmly, willing his muscles that were pent up to the point of snapping to just not do that. He would wait, observing the other for possible weak spots where he could attack.

The other didn't leave him much time to whip up a strategy but he had never really needed one – he functioned better when he was reacting to the situation at hand. When the man launched at him and swung for his head Levi dodged him and dashed to the side, slashing his knife at him and landed a hit, jumping back to be out of reach when the other man swung his bat at him again. He had no idea if he had hurt him or merely torn his clothes but he didn't care, he wouldn't stop until the other man was on the ground. Using the man's momentary being unbalanced he darted forward and slashed at his right arm, this time having cut the man for sure as he was howling in pain. That didn't stop him from kicking at Levi, though, and this time he didn't jump away in time because he was still caught in the drive of his attack. The sole of the tall man's foot collided brutally with his hip and sent him crashing to the ground, the force of the attack making him bump into the uneven soil a few times until he ended up on his side, wheezing. The world spun and he didn't know which way was up or down – he just knew that he couldn't rest, he had to move, NOW. Hastily rolling to the side he barely avoided having his ribs broken by another blow of the bat, the man crashed it into the ground instead and sent pieces of the humid soil flying into the air. Levi scrambled to get up, using the advantage of having the man bent over to slam himself into him, not trusting his accuracy enough to try to use his knife yet because the world was still spinning. It worked, his move sent the other to the ground, giving him a chance at going for his throat – when he briefly remembered words that had already been spoken to him.

'Just refrain… from taking care of anyONE, okay?'

Levi gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing at the man on the ground, his hand already raised for the blow. He was so, SO ready to kill this bastard, he deserved it for so many things and Levi had never run from this, he had never hesitated a second to kill somebody who was out to kill him – but he backed off, cursing all the ugly things he had in his mind at that moment and then sped past the bastard who was just about to get up again, breaking into a run. He would let it go – committing another murder while he was Erwin's responsibility could cause the man trouble. And he didn't need to kill this man even though he wanted to, badly. He could walk away and tomorrow he would leave Hermiha and never be bothered again.

However, the man didn't seem to like his way of handling the situation. Not at all. When Levi had almost reached the shadows of the street he heard a banging noise and realized what it was with a gasp, the bullet practically soaring past him just above his shoulder and hitting the stone wall with a crushing sound. It echoed in the shadows between the walls that Levi just ran into, adrenaline rushing through his veins with unknown intensity. He was using a firearm. And Levi could only assume that he had barely missed him just because of the wound he had inflicted on him. He had been very, very close to having been shot just there.

He ran, as fast as his legs could carry him, his senses most alert and his whole body tense with apprehension. He needed to get away from there, back into the network of little streets. He had no idea if the other knew the city as well as he did, he had no idea why the man wanted to kill him – he just knew that he was following him, he heard his steps running behind him, and that he wanted Levi dead.

Dashing around a corner he laid out a route in his head, pondering if it was safer to stay in the narrow streets with their sharp turns to avoid giving the man a chance to make a clear shot at him or to move up to the roofs and balconies. He decided on a mixture of both, thinking that the more confusing he made the path the harder it would be for the man to follow him. Cursing Erwin for having made him not kill this bastard when he had had the chance he pushed off the ground to grab the edge of a small shack's roof and hoisted himself up onto the bricks, barely pausing his movements before running across the roof. He knew that he couldn't stay up there for long because he would pose a great target on the open space so he ran to the edge of the roof and jumped down, using a low balcony for a stopover before hopping down into the alleyway, dashing around another corner. He would make this pursuit as hard as possible for that bastard and try to lose him somewhere in the labyrinth of the streets.

He continued like that, alternating between running across bent lanes and hoisting himself up onto roofs, changing directions and using as many sharp turns as possible. His strategy seemed to play off, when he cast hasty looks back every few minutes he could see that the distance between them grew larger – but the man was persistent and apparently in very good shape. Levi was panting for air, wishing he hadn't exhausted himself by running across the roofs before. His body was getting tired, the physical extortion was extreme and not every maneuver went by without inflicting him some pain. His hands were sore and the skin torn from grabbing wood, metal and rope, he had hit his knees and elbows against walls when jumping down and grabbing something to stave off the momentum of his fall. He really didn't know how long he could keep up the pace he was going on.

Hearing another bullet be fired at him he braced himself for the pain and threw himself down onto the bricks, protecting his head with his arms as he rolled across the uneven surface and then over the edge of the roof. He fell and unfolded his limbs in midair, grabbed his knife and rammed it full force into the wooden planks the wall of the house consisted of. It helped to brake his fall as the knife cut through the wood, aided by the weight of the body attached to it, and Levi brought his legs up to kick himself off the wall in order to rip the knife from the wood. Turning around when falling again he landed on his feet, forced into a squat by the force of his impact. His heart racing, his lungs screaming for air, his whole body aching he shot up and was about to break into a running frenzy again – when he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him.

~*~

On to the next? XDDDD  
That was a fun chapter to write… so much different stuff happening~~ next chapter will be up very soon, I promise (FOR REAL THIS TIME!) ~ it’s already half done! XD


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD GUYS I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I SHOULD START APOLOGIZING FOR THE GREAT DELAY BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU IT WAS FOR… REASONS. *cries*  
> Let me just tell you briefly how much work, time and tears have been poured into these damn 23 pages of this sorry story. >__>  
> When I wrote the chapter for the first time it didn't really work out. Characters not doing what I wanted, they acted peculiarly, I was very unhappy. So I changed it all, wrote several passages again. Erased some of them and restored the way they had been before. The whole chapter sucked so much but in the end I had done a halfway decent job, I only had a few paragraphs to go until it would have been finished - and then my hard-drive crashed. |D Broken beyond repair, a week of crossing fingers for nothing as the data was gone. GONE. LIKE COMPLETELY GONE. FOREVER.  
> I cried.  
> Then I restarted writing the chapter, after two days of not being able to even look at 'Attachment' because I was so fucking furious.  
> So I write it again - and changed the whole chapter. 8DDDD Of course, because I hadn't liked it anyway, so I wrote something completely different, for the 328938293 time.  
> BUT~ I like what I've come up with this time best. I can upload it with a clean conscience. <3  
> I won't promise anything for the next chapter, oh no, because that might just jinx things again, but I hope it won't even nearly take that long to upload the next chapter ever again!  
> Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy reading this! * 3 *  
> AND I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! *________*

~*~

“Here you go, corporal. As good as new.” 

Erwin smiled and reclaimed the operating device’s right handle of his maneuver gear when it was held out to him, trying the mechanism to assure himself that its performance was restored to the way he needed it to be. Pulling the handle that usually made the blade drop from the grip had had become a hard-steering movement with the time and frequent use –which had been taken care of, indeed, the mechanism was smooth-working again. 

“Thank you, Simon. I’m glad I could have it taken care of by the professionals.” 

He was currently at the facility where Hermiha’s Military Police stored their gears, the weapons were administrated here and they also had a maintenance center. While Erwin was able to disassemble his gear, clean it properly and put it back together he had preferred to have it repaired for real instead of trying to fix it himself. Those things were his life-insurance, he wanted them to be maintained skillfully when it was possible. And as he was here in the city anyway he could as well do it this way. 

The dark-haired soldier smiled back and saluted. “Anytime, sir. That’s what we’re here for.” 

Erwin nodded and refastened the handle to his gear, shrugging into his leather jacket that he had taken off while waiting for his gear to be repaired.

“How much do I owe you?” 

The maintenance centers weren’t staffed by soldiers, as far as Erwin knew, so he expected to pay for the service he had received. Maybe the Military Police’s issues were covered, as they were the ones stationed here, but even though they were one army the three branches were treated quite differently. And he was already used to the Scouting Legion being disadvantaged in some ways.

The dark-haired man just shook his head, still smiling. 

“Nah, you’re wearing a uniform. I don’t care about wings, roses or unicorns, you all do your duties. Maneuver-gear-maintenance is covered by the government.” 

It surprised Erwin, honestly, but he wasn’t one to question such things. He gave the man another smile, returning the salute he had been given a minute ago. 

“Thank you, I’m definitely coming back next time.”

The man laughed and Erwin gave him a pat on the back, winking at him. 

“I still hope not to see you again soon, professionally.” 

He turned around to leave, raised his hand in greeting before leaving the building with a brief glance at the clock attached to the wall. Eleven. Good, he was still on schedule. He had to do a few things before he would go see his sister and he wanted to finish them quickly as his time with Bethy had already been cut short by his commander this morning. 

His mood darkened considerably when he thought of the function he would have to attend that evening and he started walking briskly back to the garrison. He had really wanted to spend his time differently… but he couldn’t decline an invitation from his commander, work always came first. He had been made corporal just a little while ago and people wanted to know who he was, Dallis Zacklay HAD to introduce him to some people. Erwin was sure he would meet some higher-ups that evening, maybe even their generalissimo. It was important, he was very aware of that and he knew that Bethy would understand as well. He nevertheless mourned the lost time. 

Taking a turn he soon left the broad streets of the city, deciding to walk through the more narrow streets to save time and steps. In retrospect it seemed a much less brilliant choice to walk instead of taking his horse for covering the distance between the garrison and the maintenance center but he had felt the need for moving his feet – now he was regretting it as it would take him much longer to go back by foot. 

His steps echoed from the high stone walls and they were accompanied by the familiar sounds of the maneuver-gear attached to his hips and thighs. Just for a moment he flirted with the thought of just using the metal cords of the gear to move so much faster but eventually refrained from doing so. Soldiers needed a special permission to use their maneuver-gear inside the walled cities and as it constituted to be a dangerous weapon Erwin approved of this. Not even the soldiers of the Military Police were allowed to wear theirs, they were equipped with rifles for their daily duty. The Scouting Legion even had to get a special permission for the days that they traversed walled cities to reach a gate for leaving wall Maria, they had a special permission for the next day as they would be leaving Hermiha carrying their weapons with them. Those permissions were only given for a good reason – and Erwin’s laziness certainly didn’t pose one. So he just stuck to walking. 

Meandering through the narrow streets he also crossed uglier parts of the city as the shortest way back to the garrison was straight through them. He didn’t pay too much attention to his surroundings, he also didn’t come across many people. For a brief moment he thought of Levi, how the boy had spent his life mostly right here, hidden in the shadows of the shabby houses – he must have been lonely, very very lonely, especially after the loss of that man he had been living with. 

At first he thought his ears had fooled him when he heard the sound - but when he looked up into the direction that sound seemed to have come from and a body fell off the roof of the house right in front of him he was assured that his ears were working properly. His eyes widened and he was about to dash forward, trying to… do something, catch the body, whatever it was he could do, when he stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the body that seemed to float in the air for a few fractions of a second before it uncurled, arms and legs shooting out when he started falling. A knife was practically conjured in his hand and he drove it into the wooden planks that covered the façade of the building, slowing his fall. For a brief moment Erwin reflected that this knife had to be made of a special steel, much like the soldier’s blades, to cut through wood – but it didn’t matter as he watched the boy bring up his feet to the wall, pushing himself off it in order to free the knife he had slain deep into the wood with some ridiculous force that seemed impossible to have been mobilized in that thin arm. The boy turned in mid-air and landed on his feet in front of Erwin, crouching down to stave off the force of his impact and then looking up. For a brief second they just stared at each other, it only took the panting boy that long to realize who he was seeing – and Erwin even less to accept that yes, it had indeed been Levi flinging himself off that roof. 

“What the…? Levi?” 

The boy didn’t lose any time, he jumped back up and dashed towards him, grabbing his wrist with the clear intention of dragging him with him. 

“MOVE, we gotta run!” 

He was stunned for a second, his thoughts tumbling all over each other until he shook himself out of it, complying to Levi’s command and running after him. The boy let go of his wrist and sped around a corner, not slowing down in the slightest but rather accelerating even more. Erwin cursed under his breath and followed him when he heard the sound again, this time recognizing it without any doubt. That was a shot. They were being shot at. The bullet missed them as they had just taken a rough turn but it made Erwin run faster, putting his long legs to use as he closed the distance and caught up with Levi, staring at the boy. 

“Why are you being shot at? Who’s shooting? Military Police?”, he inquired, his breathing going faster from the physical exertion and the shock about having just been shot at. He knew it wasn’t advisable to talk when running, it might cause a stitch and deviated attention, but he was so confused, angry even, that he couldn’t refrain from questioning the boy. WHAT the fuck was happening? WHY hadn’t he just stayed out of trouble for one bloody day, how could Erwin have deluded himself into thinking that Levi could manage that? 

The boy turned his head to him, briefly, before dashing around the next corner and then another one right after, changing directions like a rabbit would do when being hunted. The expression on the boy’s face did nothing to calm his anger but he did see the exhaustion on the shadowed face, the sweat glistening on his forehead and the stains of dirt on his cheeks – he had been running for a while and falling, apparently. 

“The fuck do I know but it’s not the Military Police. Never seen the asshole before.”, he gasped, sounding hoarse and his voice was breathless. 

Erwin frowned, not getting the situation at all. What the hell? 

“What did you do? There has to be-“ 

The boy didn’t even let him finish, he just glared at him and sped around another corner. 

“I fucking didn’t do anything, shut the hell up and run! You can pump me for information later.", he actually growled at Erwin and somehow managed to speed up yet again. How he did that Erwin didn’t know, he had difficulties keeping up with him. The boy was agile and efficient, damn it. Erwin suddenly understood more than ever why the Military Police had never managed to get so much of a glimpse on the boy, let alone catch him. Cursing again he didn’t say anything else, just willed his body to move faster in order to not lose Levi in the labyrinthine streets – he realized that it was just what the boy was planning, losing their pursuer by taking as many sharp and unexpected turns as he could. And the strategy seemed to be playing off, he didn’t hear another shot fired at them, the person chasing them just didn’t get a clear shot. He congratulated Levi silently for being quick-thinking. 

He managed to catch up with Levi by mobilizing everything he had, thinking that never once in his life he had had to run for his life like he was doing now. Of course, he had more than once narrowly escaped a titan’s slobbering mouth and then sped away on a horse’s back, but this was different. This was a human being trying to kill him – somehow this was surreal to an extent that it almost went back to being funny. He had survived five expeditions outside the walls, had taken down 10 titans on his own – and now he was dangerously close to being shot by some asshole that he didn’t even know? Fate did always have a sense for dark humor. 

His lungs were burning and he heard Levi’s heavy panting as they ran, wondering how long the boy had been running up to now. He didn’t really have the chance to wonder for long, though, as Levi suddenly slammed into him to tackle him right into a narrow little cleavage between two high stone walls. Erwin almost lost his footing and it was only due to his body control that he didn’t, regaining balance after two stumbling steps. His eyes adjusted to the sudden lack of light right in time to see the huge stack of rumble blocking the passage and he jumped onto it with great presence of mind, climbing on top of it and hopping down on the other side. He felt Levi’s lithe body right behind him and the boy’s hand shot out, clasping around his wrist. Erwin spun around when Levi yanked at his arm, already crouching on the ground with his back flat against the wall, and Erwin hurried to mirror him. They both held their breaths, cowering into the corner as much as possible while they waited, listening carefully. Tension was almost sizzling in the air when they heard footsteps coming their way, hurried, getting louder and louder and louder and they heard him pant, curse underneath his breath, for a brief second as he passed the cleavage – his footsteps grew fainter and fainter and fainter, then, until they eventually disappeared behind another corner. 

There was perfect silence for a few seconds, the absence of sounds almost shrill in Erwin’s ears until Levi released a harsh breath, then gasped for air desperately. Erwin did the same, turning his head to see the boy sink to the ground, his forehead leaning against the pile of rubble as he tried to get oxygen into his lungs. One of his hands clutched at his chest while the other clawed into the rubble as if he was trying to get a hold of the situation, to center himself. 

Erwin closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to calm himself enough to breathe in and out evenly, and sat down on the ground as well, not caring about the dirt at all. That… had been narrow. And it might have cost him years of his life. 

About to start his questioning right away, because he really, really wanted to know what that had been about, he fixed his eyes on the back of Levi’s head, already opening his mouth – when he realized that the whole boy was shaking, still gasping for air harshly. Frowning he hesitated a few seconds, waiting if he would calm down, but when he didn’t he reached out and put his hand on Levi’s back. Not sure if the boy was just really, really out of breath or experiencing something close to a panic attack or being flooded by adrenaline and relief so much that it kept him in the frenzy he had been running in, Erwin watched him closely as he moved his hand up and down Levi’s back, feeling the cramped up muscles underneath his palm and fingertips. He couldn’t tell if Levi had tensed up even more due to the unexpected touch, he just knew that he didn’t flinch underneath his hand this time. 

“Shhhh. Breathe, Levi. Relax and breathe.” 

For once he didn’t receive a smart reply, the boy just continued to take wheezing breaths underneath his hand. But the tension in his back loosened little by little the longer he rubbed it up and down comfortingly, it worked the same way it had been working when Levi was sick. It was interesting to see him react favourably to touch even though he usually avoided it as much as possible – he only was amenable to touch when he wasn’t really thinking about it, when the situation made him crave the comfort. It might be a subconscious thing, Erwin mused to himself, the moment he was allowed thinking straight enough for wondering about the motives of the person touching him he went back to avoiding it. It was becoming a pattern that Erwin needed to expand if he wanted to thoroughly understand the boy one day – he made it his personal challenge there and then. 

It took Levi a few minutes to calm down, until his breathing evened out and his hands stopped clawing into clothes and rubble but eventually he did. Erwin didn’t mind waiting, knowing that he wouldn’t get anything out of Levi anyway until the boy was back to thinking properly – his concern for Levi’s well-being had overpowered his immediate need for wanting to know what was going on. 

He didn’t think much of it (or maybe he was just plain curious about what would happen) when he pushed his hand up the boy’s back to thread his fingers into the dark hair, taking to stroking the boy’s hair instead of his back.  
The reaction wasn’t anywhere near what he had expected, except for the slight tensing in his shoulders. Levi didn’t flinch, he didn’t even pull away either, no. It took a little while, a few gentle strokes through thick, damp hair, but the boy did title his head into Erwin’s touch, just the slightest bit. Interesting, Erwin thought to himself, when he gently rubbed his fingertips against his scalp and Levi rolled his head a little, pushing back into his touch. 

He knew there was no trigger, not an unwelcome movement of his part that caused Levi to raise his head after a few more seconds of playing with the boy’s hair. He wasn’t shaking him off, he just shifted until he leaned back against the wall next to him, causing Erwin to pull back his hand. Dark-blue eyes threw him a glance which he couldn’t quite place, his face being impenetrable once more, but there wasn’t anything negative radiating off him. When he spoke his voice was calm. 

“Don’t touch me, I’m filthy.” 

Erwin almost laughed at that, despite the fact that the order had come a little too late the thought that Levi was most concerned about a little dirt in his hair and on his clothes was just a little absurd taking, their current situation into account. They had just been chased through the city and nearly been shot – Erwin had other concerns than Levi being a little dirty. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve touched worse.” 

Levi just snorted softly and looked down, patting his clothes to get rid of more dirt stuck to them. In the semi-darkness of the narrow cleavage Erwin looked the boy up and down, silently searching for indicators of injuries like torn clothes and blood-soaked cloth, but as far as he could see there wasn’t anything. Levi was unbelievable… in the likely case that the crazy maneuver Erwin had witnessed had not been the only one Levi had performed brilliantly to have avoided being severely injured – and Erwin had seen his expectations already confirmed. The boy’s body control was endless, he didn’t panic even when falling (except that he hadn’t exactly been falling, he had deliberately flung himself off that roof because he had known of the wooden consistency of the wall, he hadn’t been running blindly; he had done so with a clear route in mind) and he used inertia and gravity consciously when maneuvering in mid-air. This boy would have no problems mastering the 3D-maneuver-gear, no problems at all. He couldn’t help but feel a little smug. 

Erwin leaned his head back against the wall, analyzing their situation for a few seconds. He was trying to make up his mind whether it was better to stay right there for some time or to get away from there as quickly as possible. Both options had their advantages and disadvantages but in the end he settled with staying there for another little while. Maybe the man would give up searching for them after a while - this way they wouldn't risk running into him, at least. 

Clearing his throat he addressed the subject, then, believing Levi to be calm enough for talking about it. He looked at him, Levi had drawn his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms between them and his body. 

"What was this about?" 

The boy shrugged, looking up at Erwin for a second, before facing the opposite wall. 

“I already told you, I have no idea. He attacked me out of nowhere, I’ve never seen him before.” 

Erwin frowned, the answer wasn't a really satisfying one. He had already been given that when they had been running but that didn't explain anything. There had to be more to this, you didn't deliberately chase a boy through the city, trying to shoot him. 

“Never? Are you sure?", he asked him, his voice anywhere near accusing and maybe that was the reason why Levi didn't just snap at him. He did roll his eyes, though, letting his knees sink to his sides until he sat cross-legged next to Erwin. 

“I’m good with faces, I’m absolutely sure.” 

He didn't doubt that first piece of information at all, and he nodded when he got the second one. He believed him, Levi didn't have any reason for lying to him. It still was bizarre, the whole thing, so he decided to go into it again. 

“Somebody out for revenge, maybe? Settling an account?”, he asked him, hoping to make Levi remember something that he might have forgotten, or something that he had underestimated until now. 

The dark-haired boy clicked his tongue softly and looked at him, shaking his head. 

“Sorry to disappoint your expectations but I didn’t take part in… organized underground crime or something fancy like that. If I’ve crossed some asshole then I did so without knowing.”

It occurred to Erwin that he hadn't expected anything regarding Levi's past - because he hadn't yet thought about it at all. The part where he had committed crimes that Erwin covered for him. The boy having taken part in organized underground crime sounded very wrong in Erwin's ears, it didn't fit into the picture. He had been operating alone and, as far as he knew, he had done what had been necessary for staying alive. He had killed people, yes, because they had tried to kill him first. Or because they had kept him away from food, Erwin didn't know. He believed him when he said that he hadn't picked fights, open accounts with people that he had outwitted and tricked. No, he wasn't that kind of criminal. In Erwin's eyes he was a victim of their cold, selfish and uncaring society - he wouldn't protect him if he was a criminal of any other kind. 

He nodded, letting the matter drop with his next words. 

“Fair enough. What did he look like? He seemed to have been a skilled fighter.” 

Levi's expression went right back to impassive and Erwin preferred that by far to sneering. Even though they had managed to create a base that they could build their relation on he still had to be carefully tiptoe around landmines if he wanted to keep their conversations productive. Being empathic for sensitive topics was key. 

“Normal…? He had dark blond hair and a beard and he was wearing dark clothes… and yes, skilled fighter. I suppose he only didn’t land a hit because I sliced his arm.”

That made Erwin take notice, he frowned and looked the boy up and down again involuntarily even though nothing had changed until he had so for the last time. 

“Did you fight?” 

Levi nodded, throwing him a nasty look that Erwin didn't understand until the boy spoke again. 

“Yes. And I had the chance to kill him. But I 'refrained from taking care of anyONE'.”, he said, stressing the last few words in a way that made Erwin think about them for a few seconds - until he realized where he had heard those words before. He couldn't help but smile a little, which caused the boy glare at him but he turned his face away a moment later. 

“I’m glad you did.” Not only because it would probably have caused more trouble than it was worth but also because he knew that Levi had held back for him. The conversation about everything Levi did falling back to Erwin in some way seemed to be still present in the boy's mind and he was glad about that. He had also shown his acknowledgement of the responsibility he carried. 

Feeling content about this newest development he went back to matters at hand. “Are you injured?” 

Levi shook his head, moving his limbs slightly to prove his point. 

“No… but there’s nothing in my body that doesn’t hurt right now.”

That he could very well imagine. The crazy race through the city and the maneuvers he might have performed while trying to lose the man shooting at him were bound to have left traces on him, he would probably sport a few bruises and abrasions the next day. 

Erwin fell silent for a little while, rid of the questions he had wanted to ask. They hadn't solved anything… but there wasn't much they could do about the whole thing now so he decided to let the matter drop for now. 

Replaying the events in his head he felt the corners of his mouth turn upwards when he realized something that he hadn't been aware of before and didn't hesitate to express his thought. 

"You might have saved my life today, Levi." 

Even though the shooter had been clearly after Levi the boy hadn't hesitated to make sure Erwin got away as well. He hadn't necessarily needed to do so - but he had been concerned for Erwin's well-being. Maybe the shooter wouldn't have paid Erwin any attention - but maybe he would just have shot him on sight. As they didn't know anything about neither his identity nor his motives there was no telling what he would have done - but Levi had been insisting on avoiding any confrontation. 

Levi threw him a glance and then looked away, tzking softly. 

"Don't make it sound so cheesy, I couldn't just leave you standing there looking dumb-struck." 

Erwin smiled and flipped an undefined piece of dirt off his pants, making it bounce against the opposite wall and disappear on the ground. 

"Thank you." 

Making an abysmal little noise Levi turned to look at him, his face contorted into something between a frown and a sneer. 

"You're my ticket out of here, couldn't have let you die now, could I?" The strangely amusing expression on his face didn't last long, however, his features relaxing into his usual stoic expression. He lowered his eyes, avoiding to look at Erwin without appearing the slightest bit bashful. "…anytime." 

His smile just broadened. 

A few seconds passed in comfortable silence until Levi pulled his legs underneath himself and got up from the ground, wincing a little when doing so. Erwin wasn't really surprised, the boy had said that his whole body was hurting - his body was translating the over-exertion into overstrung muscles and stiff bones, he was probably bruising already.   
The boy patted his clothes down again, checking them for damage while he was at it and grimaced at the stained cloth. 

“We should get away from here.", the boy said, looking at Erwin who nodded and got up from the ground, briefly dusting off himself as well. He guessed that this moment was just as good as any other for them to leave their hide-out, they had waited there a little while - if the man was still searching for Levi now he's probably still do so in an hour. And Erwin didn't want to spend the whole day here. 

He turned towards the heap of rubble, ready to climb it again, when he spotted Levi look up towards the sky, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth while he thought. 

"It's probably best to go back to the roof tops. He won't be able to sneak up on us there, it's an advantage.", he mused aloud and turned to look at Erwin. "I suppose you can manage that. If he could follow me the Scouting Legion's corporal can easily do it." 

There was no mockery in his voice and Erwin didn't doubt for a second that he could do it - his concern was something else. The boy was exhausted, his body tired and moving hurt. While he was certain that he would perform impeccably if he needed to he wasn't sure if his body could endure another few stunts like the one Erwin had witnessed. If Levi had, he was using his vivid imagination, jumped down several stories and grabbed wood or whatever there had been to grab several meters below he might have hurt his shoulders. He was lucky to not have had them dislocated, which might only be due to his insignificant weight. Erwin didn't want to think about what would happen if they DID dislocate during another crazy chase through the city. No, that was not really an option, Levi wouldn't move up onto those roofs again until he had recovered. It was dangerous, for the both of them. But the boy was right, walking through the little streets might be just as dangerous. 

About to express his thoughts about the dilemma they thought they had he paused, looking down his body. And frowned when he realized that they had another option - question was if he wanted to consider choosing it. Because he shouldn't - on the other hand this was close to being an emergency and he was allowed to do it in the case of an emergency. 

"Are you spacing out on me?", the boy asked while snapping his fingers in front of Erwin's eyes, making him blink and look down at Levi. He nodded at the dark-haired boy who considered him a little warily, his brows furrowed. 

"Please forgive me, I got lost in my thoughts." 

The boy muttered 'I noticed.' and Erwin smiled apologetically, raising his hands to grab his control unit's handles. 

"I really shouldn't consider this but I think the situation calls for it. I was thinking of using this for our escape." He held the handles out for the boy to see, recognizing the moment when it dawned to Levi what Erwin was insinuating. He frowned at him, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"OUR escape? YOUR escape maybe, I don't think you'll shake another gear from your sleeve." 

He laughed at that, momentarily having to imagine himself doing just that before growing serious once again. 

"While having a second gear would certainly be more convenient I'm totally capable of taking you with me." 

The boy's frown deepened while his narrow dark-blue eyes were staring at Erwin warily, flicking back and forth between his face and his gear. 

"You'd carry me.", he said, his statement being just that instead of a question. 

Erwin raised his eyebrows, cocking his head to the side. 

"Basically, yes. Don't worry, I can still maneuver perfectly with a little additional weight." 

The boy pursed his lips, looking entirely displeased with the prospect of being carried and flown around. While Erwin could relate to that he found it wasn't the right time to question things, they needed to get away as quickly as possible, and the best and safest way was to do it Erwin's way. 

"That's not what I'm worried about.", he muttered and then paused, contemplating Erwin for a moment before looking down at his own body. Erwin quirked an eyebrow at him. 

"I'll soil your clothes." 

It was Erwin's turn to stare at Levi when he heard those words, unsure whether he was supposed to think that the boy was serious or not. He had expected several kinds of possible interjection, ranging from 'being carried by you makes me feel humiliated' to 'I'll cut your arms off if you as much as try to touch me') - but Levi fearing that he would ruin Erwin's clothes was about the last thing he had thought of. And it was also the last thing he cared about. 

He smoothened his bemused expression out into a pleasant look, somehow being relieved about the fact that the main thing Levi worried about was something as mundane as dirty clothes. 

"Those clothes are used to way worse, believe me. In addition, they can be washed." Levi's frown remained on his face, he was still eying Erwin warily, so he tried smiling at him encouragingly. "Just trust me, I'm used to getting people out of the hazard zone." Maybe he did have other objections about this and if that was the case Erwin wanted to hear it.

Levi contemplated him with narrowed eyes for another little while but apparently he didn't have another objection that he wanted to mouth so he ended up producing a little huff and pressing his lips into a tight line. 

"Fine.", he muttered, still frowning when he was looking Erwin up and down. "…how?" 

He smiled and cocked his head to the side. "Well you can either put your arms around my neck and I'll hold you by your waist or I'll carry you like a bride.", he said, carefully keeping the humor out of his voice when he used his arms to illustrate his words. 

The boy stared at him, his eyes narrowing with each word he was saying, and when he explained the second way of carrying Levi the boy sputtered in mortification. "The fuck, NO." 

Erwin just smiled pleasantly, enjoying to have coaxed Levi out of his indifferent shell even though this was neither the time nor place to start a fight over something as insignificant as this. 

"It's option one, then." 

Levi stared at him and for a moment Erwin thought the boy would announce that he'd rather walk - but then he took a step towards him, glaring daggers all the time. 

"This is fucked up." 

Erwin chuckled and moved to stand next to him, opening his arms for the boy. 

"This whole thing was entirely unpleasant - just let's get back to the garrison quickly." 

Levi shot him another glare but then nodded, raising his arms to put them around Erwin's neck - and bit his lip to stifle a hiss when he did so. Erwin frowned while Levi awkwardly put his arms around his neck anyway, swearing under his breath. 

"You hurt your shoulders?" 

"There's nothing in my body that doesn't hurt right now, remember?", the boy repeated his words and held onto him, his arms trembling a little from the overstraining movement. His frown deepened when he put his arms around Levi's narrow waist, looking down at the dark-haired head from the corners of his eyes. 

"Can you still do it? Holding on for a little while?" It would be highly dangerous if Levi had to let go of his neck in mid-air, Erwin might not be able to catch him in time. 

A growl was the answer and the boy nudged Erwin's thigh with his knee. 

"It's FINE.", he put a lot of emphasis on the last word, "Let's fucking go." 

Erwin hesitated for another second but then grabbed the devices of his control-unit, feeling for the triggers. He'd trust Levi's judgment, the boy surely knew his body best. 

"Hold on tight.”

He felt the boy entwine the fingers of his hands at the back of his neck and tightened his arms around the boy's waist in return before pulling the trigger. The hooks attached to the steel cables shot from the drums they were usually stored in and Erwin hopped off the ground, pulling the second trigger to release the gas that was held under pressure in the cylinders on top of the blade boxes through the fan unit. He immediately felt the familiar pull to the leather straps that circled his body and heard a strangled gasp from Levi when they were skyrocketed off the ground, speeding through the air towards the hooks. They were accompanied by the metallic sounds of the steel cables rolling themselves back up into the drums when they flew past stone walls, Levi twisting his head around to see what was happening around them. Erwin snapped back the hooks, turned in mid-air and fired them again, changing directing by stopping the flow of gas for the moment of turning and then emitting more gas to accelerate again. He heard another soft gasp slip Levi's throat when they were hauled forwards again, knowing how much the jolt of the movement could press the air from your lungs when you didn't know what to expect.   
Moving them up above most of the rooftops, using the higher buildings of the city to fire his hooks into, he threw Levi a short glance before shifting his visual attention back to the course in front of them. 

"Are you alright?" 

He rather felt the boy nod than actually being able to see it, he just knew his arms were still trembling but still holding onto his neck stubbornly. The garrison wasn't far and they were moving fast, the boy didn't have to suffer for much longer. 

“Why shouldn’t you use it?”

The question surprised him a little but then he recalled having pointed out something like that when suggesting the usage of the gear for transportation. He turned another time, noticing that Levi didn't gasp this time. 

“Because I usually need a special permission to use it within the cities. If I’m being asked about this I’ll have to think of a good excuse.” 

While getting them out of a dangerous situation totally justified the unauthorized usage of the gear Erwin would rather not tell anybody what they had been running from. As long as they didn't know what the whole thing had been about he preferred to not let anybody know about it - it might raise questions regarding Levi's background and that was the very last thing he wanted. 

Levi snorted in his arms, his unruly hair whipping around them in the fierce airstream of their flight. 

“I'm sure you’ll think of something.”

Erwin chuckled, affirming Levi that indeed, he would - he had made up his mind already, not liking to make decisions he couldn't back up 100%. If, in the highly unlikely case of all those things happening, they were seen and he was recognized and reported, he would simply state that his gear had been repaired and he had simply done a short test-run. He could prove the repair-part so there was not much that could be said against it. 

They continued on their way, the sound of the fierce wind and the metallic snapping of the wires in their ears. Levi had at one point turned his head away from the direction they were going in and he let Erwin know the reason for this a few seconds later, nudging one of the blade-containing boxes with his knee. 

“This thing is amazing… you control it all with these?" 

Knowing that they would move straight ahead for a few seconds he looked down, seeing that Levi watched his hands that were holding the control unit's handles. He smiled, watching Levi's eyes follow the cables that went from the handles to his belt, and nodded at the boy. 

"Exactly, that's the control unit. I fire the hooks and control the emission of gas with these - and they're usually attached to the blades in the boxes down there,", he said with a brief gesture towards his hips, "to form the swords we fight the titans with." 

The boy nodded, having another few inspecting looks on the different parts of the 3D-maneuver-gear and Erwin smiled before looking up, changing their direction again. He had briefly explained the mechanisms of the 3D-maneuver-gear to Levi the first night he had come to see him but seeing/experiencing it in action was another story. He was pleased that Levi seemed to remember a few things, though. 

The dark-blue eyes fixing on the strap across Erwin's chest was the last thing he saw before looking up, firing the hooks again to keep them going. 

"And all that… you need for maneuvering? Like… shifting weight and moving limbs to change course?", he asked, his voice calm and nothing indicated that he was particularly bothered by the fact that he was flying through the air for the first time in his life. He was just genuinely curious about how it worked, a characteristic that Erwin had noticed before and that he appreciated, and therefore he didn't mind explaining things to Levi. 

"Basically, yes. The belt and the straps help you stay balanced and upright and the rest is up to you, the way you move your body determines the way you fly. It's a matter of practice, a lot of the time you spend in military training is dedicated to improve your maneuver-skills." 

He felt Levi nod and changed direction for the last time, knowing they would soon arrive at the garrison. He couldn't help but think that despite the lousiness of the whole incident it had ended in him being back at the garrison earlier. Even counting in the time they had spent recovering from the chase he had still saved some time - all the better, he would have a little more time to get his work done. 

Not about to just land in front of the garrison's front door he chose a little street around the corner to get back to the ground into, stopping the emission of gas to start descending. He snapped back the hooks when he reached the range of comfortable altitude and landed on his feet safely, taking a couple of steps to stave off the drive of the movement. The moment he set Levi back down onto the ground the boy removed his arms from Erwin's neck, stifling a groaning hiss when he did so. He even hunched over a little when he swore under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest to rub his apparently very sore shoulders. Erwin loosened his hold around Levi's waist and tucked the operating devices back into their holsters, looking down at the boy worriedly. He extended his hands and placed them at Levi's elbows, making the boy look up at him. 

"May I?" 

Levi frowned, apparently unable to fathom what Erwin had in mind, but he gave his permission anyway by nodding. Erwin gently pushed up his elbows, careful not to lift his arms above his shoulders, and experimentally moved his arms back and forth. Watching Levi's face for any kind of reaction he lowered his arms and then lifted them up again, just the slightest bit above his shoulders - and immediately stopped when Levi released a harsh breath, his face contorting with pain, which he quickly apologized for. He lowered the boys arms and let go of them, making Levi go back to rubbing his shoulders right away. 

"I'm not a doctor but I think you just overstrained them severely. 'Just' meaning 'luckily not worse'. They're not dislocated or broken, you'd be in much more pain if either of that was the case." 

Levi swore under his breath again and threw him a dark look, still massaging his shoulders. 

"It hurts like fucking hell anyway."

Erwin gave him a genuinely sympathetic look and gently patted Levi's back, jerking his head into the garrison's general direction . 

"I can imagine, I'm afraid there's just not much you can do about it except for taking it easy for a few days. Let's just go back for now." 

The boy nodded and started walking, Erwin moved to fall in step with him. They chose to take the way through the courtyard to enter the building, hazarding a few more steps in favor of higher chances on staying undetected. Most soldiers would be in their rooms or in the town, using their free time to full capacity, so Erwin hoped for clear passage. 

His calculations paid off, they really didn't meet one single soul on their way up to his rooms, and Erwin heaved a sigh of relief once he closed his office's door behind them. At least something that had gone smoothly this morning… pushing away from the door he followed Levi who hadn't even stopped, heading for the bedroom directly. Envisioning easily what the boy had in mind he entered the bedroom as well, finding Levi being in the process of taking off his shoes. He did the same, leaving his boots in a messy heap in front of his bed because he would pull them back on in a few minutes anyway. 

"I suppose you're going to take a bath?", he asked, already knowing the answer to the question before Levi nodded. "I suggest you soak for a while, heat might be favourable to you shoulder's healing process." He received another nod and moved over to the wardrobe to get a new change of clothing, unwilling to go see his sister in the partly stained clothes. Smiling at Levi he gestured in the bathroom's direction, the boy had just been about to gather up the clothes he slept in. 

"May I occupy the bathroom for a few minutes? It's all yours afterwards." He waited for the boy to nod before he thanked him and went to use bathroom. True to his words he made it a brief stay, washing off and changing into clean clothes afterwards. Putting his dirty garments into the laundry basket his gaze fell onto the cupboard next to it and a thought crossed his mind. He knelt down on front of the closet and produced the medical kit stored in it from there, opening it to rummage through it. Frowning a little at noticing that there were a few things missing, things like bandages and compresses, he realized that the thief was most likely Levi who treated the wound at his thigh the way he was supposed to, changing the bandages and putting new compresses onto it. 

When his search was finally successful he extracted the item of interest and put the kit back into the cupboard, straightening up afterwards. He walked over to the door and left the bathroom, smiling at Levi who he found sitting on the broad window sill. Gesturing at the bathroom he stepped away from the door, clearing the way for Levi. 

"It's all yours." 

The boy nodded and got up, retrieved the clean clothes from his bed and then moved to claim the bathroom. When he walked past Erwin he held out a little jar to the boy, making Levi frown up at him. Erwin smiled, urging him to take the jar. 

"It's a special ointment, put that onto bruises and your shoulders, too. It might also be accelerating the healing process and prevent some swelling." Levi accepted the jar and quietly thanked him to which Erwin smiled. "Anytime. Just put your clothes into the laundry basket, I'll take them down to be washed when I leave later." Another nod and he mirrored the gesture, pointing at the door leading to his office. "I'll be over there, getting the last few things done, if you need anything just call me." While he was fairly sure that Levi wouldn't he just wanted to have made the offer. 

He left Levi alone, then, entering his office and seating himself behind his desk. A glance at the clock told him that it was only quarter to twelve, which really surprised him. So much had happened in these last 45 minutes… but everything had happened very fast, that was why it appeared like several hours to him. 

Erwin tended to his work right away, succeeding in blanking out the thoughts about those strange events in favour of getting his work done. And he really was efficient, an hour later he only had one file left - which he couldn't finish here, anyway, as it was related to the possible armament of Wall Maria. He would have to go over this file and the appendant construction plans with the commander and an architect they were employing, and then he would meet Shinganshina's governor for first negotiations. Dallis Zacklay had assigned the job to him and considering that the general idea had been Erwin's this had been legitimately done so. While the whole matter still wasn't finally decided by the Military tribunal Erwin was sure that they would get permission to equip the walls with canons as it just seemed suicidal not to do it. They couldn't kill titans with canons alone but they might be able to handicap them enough for the soldiers to take them out quickly. 

After dividing the files into two stacks, one bigger one to deliver to the Military post office when he went out and a second smaller one to take back to the headquarters, he opened the desk drawer to see if he had stored something of his own in there. All the spare quarters' offices were equipped with ink, quills and parchment, he hadn't needed to bring the basic things along - but his seal and a few other things were his and he had to retrieve those. 

Having a short look into the drawer his eyes were caught by a small bottle of pills. Those didn't belong to him personally, in fact he had taken the painkillers from the same medical kit he had taken the ointment from, when he had been suffering a headache a few days ago. He would put back into the kit later - but maybe he should do something before that he thought to himself, grabbing the bottle and getting up from his desk. Why hadn't he thought about it earlier? Making Levi put ointment onto his bruises was one thing but giving him a painkiller had practically suggested itself and Erwin hadn't thought about it. He would correct that right away. 

Walking back into his bedroom he knocked at the bathroom door a few seconds later, thinking the boy might already be done with his bath. "Levi?" 

He waiting for the boy to react verbally and was a little surprised when the door was opened a few moments later, revealing the boy. He was dressed in his clean clothes and had apparently just started drying his hair, the towel was still on his tousled damp hair. Erwin had to smile at that and the boy arched a thin eyebrow at him, making him remember what he had disturbed Levi for. He went over to his nightstand, poured some water from the clay jug into the mug and returned to Levi, holding the mug and the pills out to Levi. He earned another frown at that and dark-blue eyes scrutinized the pills cautiously, making Erwin explain himself. 

"Those are painkillers. Which is self-explanatory, I guess." The bored look he received from Levi proved him right. "You swallow them with the water. Just take one, they're rather strong. I assure you, the pain will fade within minutes." 

The boy still seemed unconvinced, looking up at Erwin warily. 

"Will they… make me go fuzzy or something…?", he asked hesitantly, clearly telling Erwin that he had never taken painkillers before. He shook his head, smiling reassuringly at the boy. 

"No. A little sleepy at the most, if at all, but I assume you'll spend the rest of the day in here anyway." Going outside on his own again today was highly not advisable, he would do better resting and writing letters. 

He nodded to that and accepted the bottle of pills after another brief moment of hesitation, shaking one out into his palm and returning the bottle to Erwin right away. Bracing himself he slipped the pill into his mouth and his face immediately contorted with disgust, the bitter taste of the pill made him gush down the water with only a few draughts. Wiping his mouth he scowled at Erwin and thrust the mug back into his hand, making him chuckle apologetically. 

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you of the dreadful taste." 

Levi crinkled his nose and reached for the towel that was still on top of his head, turning on his heel to retreat back into the bathroom. 

"Next time I'd rather take the pain." 

The statement surely would have been more believable if he hadn't hissed in pain when he lifted his arms to rub his hair. But he did hiss and cringed, lowering his arms to rub at his shoulders again. Erwin frowned, wondering how the boy had managed to wash his hair if his arms hurt so much. Not even speaking of undressing. The stubborn little fool. 

Placing the bottle and the mug aside he followed Levi into the bathroom, catching him during a new attempt to rub his hair dry. He had moved in front of the mirror which enabled him to see Erwin align behind him, dark-blue eyes watching him attentively from a visibly pained faced.

"Let me do that."

Without waiting for an answer (because he wouldn't accept anything but an 'okay') he put his hands on Levi's upper arms and pushed them down before grabbing the towel with his own hands. Starting to rub the wet hair down carefully he made sure to not accidentally slap the towel across Levi's face while he worked. He didn't receive any resistance from the boy, he was merely watched through the mirror by dark-blue eyes and he held his gaze, attentively searching for signs of discomfort should something become visible. 

He didn't find any, though, and he wasn't watched for long, either. While he was leaning his palms onto the sink the boy's eyelids started dropping little by little, growing heavier until his eyes slid shut underneath Erwin's massaging hands. He tried to fight it, forcing his eyes to open again and again but lost his battle, finally resigning to fate by hanging his head a little. Erwin smiled, the whole thing not entirely unexpected but touching in one way or another. Without really searching for it he had apparently discovered one of the boy's soft spots. 

He chose to address him then, when he was rubbing the thick hair on the very top of his head. 

"You could have called me to help you if your shoulders hurt so much; you're supposed to go easy and not strain them even more." 

The boy opened his eyes a little, weakly glaring up at him but dropped his head again when Erwin moved his hands to rub the back of his neck with the towel.

"To have you undress me and wash my hair.", he scoffed, expressing how much he found the whole idea ridiculous while Erwin didn't find it ridiculous at all. He didn't really see the problem with that but he hadn't been living alone and away from human contact for a decade, either. The isolation and lack of human affection during his younger years might have contributed to his being reclusive, among a range of other possible things that Erwin didn't want to either border or dismiss. 

He smiled softly, knowing that the boy wouldn't see it because he still had his eyes closed. 

"I've been told I was good at that.", he said, not thinking much about it when he mouthed his words. It wasn't until Levi's head shot up and dark-blue eyes were staring at him strangely that he thought about his words, and still he was unable to find the strangeness in them. Levi's flat "At undressing people." finally made him pick up upon the ambivalence of his words and he was already thinking about correcting him, telling him that he had been talking about washing other people's hair because he had done that a lot with his sister's hair when they had been little, long and thick as the blond curls had been she had never been in the mood to do it herself. But he chose different words, smiling when he said them. 

"I'll leave that to your imagination.", he chuckled, thinking the words expressed more than enough. It was endearing to see Levi snort and look pointily away from him in feigned annoyance though the faint blush colouring his cheeks was giving him away. Erwin chuckled again as he removed the towel from Levi's head, knowing the thick hair wouldn't get any dryer now. 

His hair looked like a dark bird's nest, tousled and unruly as it was, and Erwin placed the towel aside to get the brush from the shelf Levi had placed his belongings onto. The boy also went for the brush but Erwin beat him to it, snatching the brush from the bony hand and looking at Levi dispraisingly. 

"You rest your shoulders. Don't worry, I'm good at that as well." He had also brushed his sister's hair countless times, even braided it after she had taught him how. 

Levi glared at him but then stilled in defeat, warily watching Erwin carefully start combing out the multitude of knots in the tips of his hair, working his way up. Apparently he hadn't forgotten how to do it properly, the boy didn't even complain once about his hair being pulled painfully. 

When he reached the top of his head he arranged the hair back in the side parting it had been in, smoothing down the hair with his free hand. Combing through the dark mane for another few times he couldn't resist sliding his fingers through the dark strands, receiving a curious stare for his troubles. He smiled, sliding his fingers in deeper and gently grabbing a handful of it without pulling, just feeling it before letting go again. 

"You have incredibly thick hair. Isn't it dreadfully warm in summer?" He had to be sweating underneath the mass of hair when it was hot outside. While he could imagine it being nice in winter he would probably go insane with all that hair in summer. 

Levi nodded, apparently entirely unfazed by Erwin touching his hair yet again, which he mostly attributed to the mirror enabling Levi so see exactly what he was doing."It is. I usually cut it all off in spring." 

That made sense, Erwin thought to himself, trying to imagine the boy with short hair. It would probably suit him, too, but having met him with the shoulder-length-hair it was hard imagining him look different. But he would get used to it, of course, just like the boy might have to get used to wearing his hair shorter permanently.

He pulled the brush through the thick hair again and then put it aside, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. 

"You might want to think about cutting it earlier this time." When Levi arched an eyebrow at him he went to elaborate. "It's highly advisable to either tuck back long hair in a ponytail or cut it off before staring maneuver-gear-training. Long hair whipping around can get stuck in cables or slap you in the face and both can turn ugly when it happens while fighting titans." Erwin had never really had hair that grew past his ears but he had started wearing it rather short in Military training, after witnessing a girl losing half her hair (and part of her scalp) in a very ugly accident during training - that had cured his entire trainee squad from any further rebellion against the hair-style-recommendation.

The dark-haired boy nodded in understanding, moving his eyes up to look at Erwin's own hair through the mirror. 

"So that's why you wear yours so short.", he stated and Erwin nodded, smiling when he moved his hands up to Levi's hair again. 

"That's partly correct, I also deem it practical. You might want to think about shaving parts of yours off, too, like here.", he said, gently turning Levi's head to show him the invisible line he was drawing with his pointer. "… because of the mentioned dreadful heat underneath it." If it was his to decide he would cut the boy's hair off to the length just above his ears and then shave his neck, going so far as to shave around his ears and even up to his temples because his hair war so thick. The remaining hair would still be voluminous enough to fluff up a little. 

The boy had watched him, contemplating his words, and nodded after a few seconds.

"Yeah, something like that. Ponytails are stupid." 

Erwin smiled and gave Levi a gentle pat on the top of his head before stepping away from him, giving the boy some space. 

"I can cut it for you when we're back at the headquarters, I have the utensils to do it there." 

He gave his consent after a brief moment of hesitation, probably thinking that he might rather have Erwin at the back of his neck with a sharp knife than anybody else. Smiling he went out of the bathroom to place the bottle of pills and another mug filled with water on Levi's nightstand, positive that the boy might want to take another painkiller later that day. Already in the motion of going back to his office he turned around to enter the bathroom again, instead, looking at Levi questioningly. 

"Would you prefer to eat up here today? I would get our food, then." 

The boy didn't need to think about that for long, he nodded, just like Erwin had expected him to. 

"Good, I'll deliver the dirty clothes downstairs while I'm at it." 

He crossed the room to reach into the laundry basket, curling the dirty clothes into a bundle and went to carry them downstairs. He stopped by the kitchen to get them another tray of food, assuring the women that Levi was fine and promised them to take the boy downstairs the next day for the woman to wish him farewell. 

When he got back into his office the boy was already sitting at Erwin's desk, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Smiling at him he went over and set the tray down onto the wooden surface, scattered the plates and bowls and sat down as well to start eating. 

The boy's appetite was as immense as always, he started raiding the dishes of their contents right away and did only stop when he had devoured his share, after having been reminded not to eat too much bread. It was pleasing to see Levi sip his milk after having finished eating, maybe he would really grow a little taller - if not he would at least be fed properly, prepared for the rich food he would be served during Military training. 

He watched Levi unobtrusively, noticing that he was still holding his mug in that strange way. He had done so since their first meal together but Erwin had somehow thought that Levi would stop holding the mug at the very top edge, as if afraid to touch it any further. He hadn't, still sipping his drinks holding the mug in that peculiar way. 

When they were both done they put their used dishes back onto the tray and Erwin addressed Levi, looking at the boy who was still curled up in his chair. He really only did that when nobody else was around, Erwin reflected briefly.

"I'll spend the afternoon in town - I assume you stay here? Resting and… not meeting strange people trying to shoot you might be a advisable." 

Levi snorted at him but nodded, gesturing at the book Erwin had given him the day before. 

"I have letters to write." 

Erwin chuckled and pushed the book over to the boy, taking out quill and ink from the drawer he had stored it into earlier and placed both in front of Levi. "I really praise your obstinacy." 

"I'll take that as a compliment." 

He smiled again and then pulled a key from his pocket, placing it on top of the spelling book. He received an arched eyebrow instead of a question and he went to elaborate, pointing at the office door when he did so. 

"It's the key to these rooms. I don't think there's going to be any acute need for it but should you like to lock yourself in here, feel free to do so. Just remember to unlock the door tonight, I'll return from the function at some point during the night." 

The boy looked like he wanted to reject the key right away but then he thought about it again and ended up refraining from doing it, accepting the key instead. 

"Understood." 

"Good. I'll get ready and then I'm off." 

Leaving the tray for a few minutes he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and put on some of his cologne, grabbing his leather jacket from his bed when he went back to his office. He shrugged into the jacket and then moved towards the desk to gather up the things he would take with him. Levi looked up and sniffed when Erwin was standing close to him, throwing Erwin a flat look. 

"Trying to impress a girl?" 

Erwin tucked the files he needed to deliver to the Military post office under his arm and picked up the tray, smiling cheekily when cocking his head to the side.

"In fact I am." Never mind that the girl was his sister Bethy. "See you tomorrow, Levi." 

He left the boy with the impenetrable expression of his, pulling the door to his office closed by using his unoccupied elbow. After returning the tray to the kitchen he left the garrison a few minutes later, looking forward to spending a few pleasant hours with his sister.

~*~


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......... it's been five months...  >____> god damn it and I promised that I wouldn't take that long ever again, didn't I..? |D  
> Granted, I had a few significant real life issues that needed tending to. First, I got a second job, which took some time getting used to but I think I'm fine now~ second, I got myself a partner at the other side of the world (that's basically why I need a second job because flying is expensive XD) - so I just didn't have too much time to write. And, I was facing a writer's block. 
> 
> I know, I'm all excuses, and I'm really sorry. TAT I hope the next chapter is going to be finished soon, even though I won't have too much time in June due to a stay in America and cosplay crafting that needs to be done this month. But~ I'll still write, I won't abandon my favourite babies! <3 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me, though! * 3 * (And I promise the story will pick up pace very soon~)
> 
> Okay, don't let me bore you with my stuff any longer, here's the story!

~*~

"I fucking lost the little shit." 

"At least he didn't kill you, Alex. I told you to not underestimate him, he's not some scrawny lad even though he appears to be one." 

"Scrawny, my ass. He put up one hell of a fight - and I've never seen anybody move like that, he was more like an acrobat than some bedraggled kid. We shouldn't send single men after him, not even skilled ones." 

"The last four didn't make it, either."

"We need to send whole armies, then, we'll never get him otherwise." 

"Do you have any idea where he went?" 

"Of course not, I wouldn't be here if that was the case." 

"So we basically start over searching him, again." 

"Yeah… but at least I know that he's really got it." 

"…and you only mention that now? How do you know?" 

"Because I saw him retrieve it, he apparently hid it in the top of a tree for all these years." 

"Praise the walls, that's finally good news. I'll determine our men to intensify their search. Where did you spot him today?" 

"The shack. He wandered around the slums today so I'd say they should check all the places we suspect to be regular returning-points. And they might need to prepare for a new appearance, he wore new clothes today - and looked fairly well-kept." 

"Maybe he's found himself a rich lady or lord to take care of him." 

"We should try to find out what happened." 

"Yes. After that I'm sure we're very close to catching him." 

~*~

Leaning back against the wall he tilted his head to look out of the window, not really watching anything in particular but feeling calmer doing so. He still had the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, minding Erwin's advice of keeping them warm. He had cumbersomely wrapped the blue scarf around his neck, too, before he had sat down at Erwin's desk to work in the book the man had given to him. 

That had been hours ago - and he felt exhausted and drained from writing letters and pronouncing them and the words on the exercise-pages into the silence of Erwin's office. Knowing he would never find the peace and calm to take a nap he had moved to sit on the broad window sill and curled up there, feeling best when keeping an eye on the things happening outside. It wasn't dark outside yet but he wouldn't light any torches, avoiding to be visible against the light. Hiding and not being seen by anybody seemed like the best thing to do, along with leaving the door to Erwin's bedroom wide open so nobody would be able to sneak in without him hearing it. He had locked the bathroom door, though. 

His eye lids felt heavy; he had really contemplated trying to take a nap - but it just seemed impossible, even though he was really craving some rest. Sleep had been scarce the previous night and knowing that Erwin would return at some point during the night would probably make him sleepless until that happened, starting up at every little sound.   
But considering everything that had happened that morning, even if he ignored the fact that he would probably never find rest in a bed and that climbing the wardrobe was something he would just do once that night, considering the strain it would cause his shoulders, falling asleep was entirely out of the picture - his senses were still too alert and his paranoia fuelling his restlessness even more. 

He cursed the bastard who had chased him, and Erwin for preventing him to kill him when he had had the chance, but his thoughts went further than that. While he had flipped Erwin off when the man had tried to pry deeper into the whole thing Levi did indeed think about it, cudgeling his brain about possible deeds he had committed that could have provoked somebody's wrath. He hadn't done anything on purpose… usually he just stole food and given the fact that there never were witnesses he didn't think it was that. He sometimes ended up killing somebody who HAD seen him, that was rather something somebody could seek revenge for. But… this man hadn't been just any civilian. The way he had fought and chased him through the difficult layout of the city labeled him professional - and the sentence 'We finally meet at last.' showed Levi that he had been systematically targeted. This worried him by far the most. He had no idea how this man even knew of his mere existence, and 'at last' insinuated that he had been… searching for him? 

Trying to shake the uneasy feeling off he huddled even closer to the wall, feeling for the knife that he had placed next to him. As daft as it sounded, he was probably safest here. He didn't think that the man had even seen Erwin accompany him, the distance between them had already been too large - if that was the case the man would most likely never assume that Levi, hateful of the Military Police and about everybody else who wore this uniform, was right in the middle of a soldier's nest. And the place was guarded by the Scouting Legion, he didn't put it past Erwin to have alerted his men for potential foreign people trying to sneak in when he had left. Nobody would come to search for him here, he was very sure of that. And tomorrow they would leave the city, going to the Scouting Legion's headquarters who-knew-where - which would make him disappear from the map completely. He would just avoid going anywhere until then (Vera's shop would probably be the only exception) and tomorrow afternoon he would be rid of anything that had ever happened in this goddamn city. 

Shivering slightly he huddled closer to the wall, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders (which at least didn't hurt anymore, the painkiller (he had taken a second one half an hour ago) was doing its work). In moments like this one, when he was stressed out or agitated or waking up from a nightmare he missed Johann's gentle hands stroking his hair and back soothingly, his warm body to snuggle up against. While he probably wouldn't do the latter anymore it had been the best thing to do when he had been little, letting the man's warmth and presence calm him down. 

Stroking his hair and back apparently still did the trick, though, a little voice inside of his head kindly reminded him. 

Levi groaned and dipped his head back until it hit the wall, turning it to the side to glare at the vacant desk of Erwin Smith.   
It was bad enough that his body reacted the way it did, calming down beneath gentle hands touching him soothingly even though those hands belonged to Erwin fucking Smith, the Scouting Legion's corporal, but he found said man's picking up on his reaction way worse. 

He didn't fail to notice that the touching in general became more frequent. While Erwin had still carefully avoided inflicting touch on Levi at all a few days ago he had gotten used to doing it regularly - and Levi couldn't bring himself to care. The man wasn't doing anything strange to alert him, he didn't even startle him because he somehow always let Levi know that he was putting his hand somewhere on his body. He touched him casually, which was probably something other people didn't even think twice about, but Levi registered every single little touch immediately. Because he just wasn't used to it. He had isolated himself from other people and their physical closeness for years, never daring to let anybody near him because he couldn't trust anyone. He had spent years building walls - and Erwin had breached them, in a subtle, gentle, steadily pushing way that Levi hadn't really noticed until he was in. 

Erwin was a physical person, Levi could tell. While Levi was thinking about every movement twice, knowing that staying as low-key as possible was the best way to survive, Erwin moved around with a self-confidence that was expressed through every gesture, every smile. They walked on common ground in not caring about what other people thought about them but they were going about things quite differently. Maybe his being grabby had come with his profession - Levi just hoped that he never required other people's touch because he had to be rescued or patched-up. At least if the person inflicting touch on him was not Erwin. Because he minded his touch less. 

Pulling his legs in to cross them he sighed, wishing he could just take a little nap. Spending the day here would be so boring… he hoped that Erwin wouldn't be back too late. 

~*~ 

"Such a fine young man, I'm confident that he'll be an enrichment to the upper management of the Recon Corps." 

Erwin smiled at the lady and bowed his head while Dallis Zacklay gave him a pat on the back, rasping out a laugh. 

"I'm sure he will be, that's why I picked him." , he said, nodding at Erwin who gave him a smile before turning his attention back to the lady he had just been introduced to. The lady in her cantilevered dress smiled at him and then seemed to spot another somebody she wanted to meet, making her drop a curtsey. 

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Erwin Smith. I wish you the best of luck. Dallis." They both bowed to her, assuring her that the pleasure was purely theirs and stood straight when she passed them, Erwin giving his salute. He dared relaxing a little after that as there didn't seem to be another person waiting to meet him. Well, none of them had exactly been waiting – Dallis Zacklay had brought Erwin to the people he wanted him to meet. People were in general hesitant about talking to soldiers bearing the wings of freedom on their jackets. And if they did they were very serious and the soldier had to smile first, otherwise they wouldn't dare smile. 

Erwin turned to look at his commander and the man nodded at him, he seemed to be pleased. 

"Very well, Erwin, I think you met most of them. And they seem to be very fond of you - I knew they would be smitten with your charms." 

Erwin, although believing this to be an exaggeration, smiled and bowed to his commander briefly, making the older man shake off the formal gesture. "Nah. I think it's time for you to enjoy yourself. Have a look around, have something off the buffet and have a good time. I bet you'll find a few old comrades here - and I'm sure there is more than one lady yearning for a dance with you." The man winked at him and then excused himself, walking over to a group of men who he seemed to know, according to the way they greeted each other. 

Erwin sighed silently, taking a small sip from the glass that had practically been forced into his hand when they had arrived at the function; it contained some pale golden liquid that had turned out to be sparkling wine and Erwin had used it to toast some people. He didn't like the alcoholic drink but there had been no way around taking at least one glass. It was half-empty by now and the sparkling was mostly gone, rendering the liquid even more undrinkable- Erwin would need to find a place where he could dispose of the glass discreetly.

Looking around the large room he watched the present people briefly, finding it interesting. They could be divided into two groups, the ones wearing festive clothes and the rest wearing uniforms. There were some Stationary Guards present but most uniforms were sporting the unicorn of the Military Police - Dallis Zacklay and Erwin himself were the only ones of the Scouting Legion.   
People were mingling, though, uniformed people were talking to the ones in the festive clothes - maybe this was what the whole evening was about, exchanging thoughts and attitudes and opinions about a wide range of topics. In addition to the standard 'see and be seen' that was so highly esteemed in those societies. 

Erwin sighed again, he hoped Dallis soon grew tired and announced their going home - he wasn't too fond of such functions, had never been. Even less when such functions forced him to leave his sister earlier than he would have wanted to. Of course Bethy had been insightful and the time that they had spent together was to be treasured but Erwin still mourned the lost time. He knew it was important to meet people, getting to know influential people - but he still wasn't too happy about being there.

Still, there was no helping it - this would be the way to spend the evening. So he could as well enjoy it as much as he could, he reasoned with himself. And took a deep breath and straightened his shoulder a second later, turning around to walk around the room on his own for a while. 

He really did run into a few people he knew among the soldiers. As he had grown up here in Hermiha he had gone to the nearest training camp when signing up for military training - quite a few Hermiha-boys had done the same. They had been aged quite differently as the military accepted children aged 12 and older for the training. Erwin, having been aged 15 when joining the forces, had been one of the older boys in his trainee squad. He had still finished his training with top grades, first of his squad. Everybody had urged him to join the Military Police - people knowing him were not at all surprised when he had declared to join the Scouting Legion, though. It had been his will all along - good grades, the perspective of security and wealth and the sweet-talking and attempts of persuading him by his superiors, his father and comrades hadn't shaken his conviction in the slightest. Many of his comrades had joined the Stationary Guards, the most common branch the military offered - most of the other tops of the class had joined the Military Police without hesitation. Only barely two dozen had joined the Scouting Legion. Erwin was one of four who were still alive. 

He stayed around to chat with a few acquaintances and when he was weary of the excited giggling behind fans wafting over from a group of young woman in festive robes he went over to them and asked one or two for a dance (they were pretty, admittedly). He also had fun doing that, admittedly. 

And so the evening went on, even though disliking such events Erwin had always been able to blend in, getting into conversations easily and usually being quite charming. 

A few hours into the evening he was about to walk over to the buffet, just to see what they were serving (his sister had stuffed him with food earlier so he really wasn't hungry), when he was addressed by a familiar voice. He recognized him immediately even though he hadn't seen the man speaking in quite a while. 

"Well well, if this isn't corporal Erwin Smith." 

A small, careful smile making its way to his face he turned towards the man walking up to him, taking in the familiar sight. Somehow he didn't really look much different from the last time he had seen him; his features sharp and his chin still very pointy, the dark hair untidy. Erwin did notice, with a smile, that he still hadn't grown that atrocious little beard back. 

"Nile... it's good to see you." 

The shorter man walked up to him, carrying two glasses in his hands and Erwin had to bite back a sigh when he recognized the red colour of the drink; Nile was without any doubt bringing over that heavy kind of red wine that the Stationary guards and Military policemen seemed to be so fond of. The man was not returning his smile, narrow greyish eyes fixed on Erwin - eyes that, to his own mild bewilderment because they didn't look anything alike, made him think of Levi's briefly. 

Erwin smiled when Nile stopped in front of him, the man looking up at Erwin. And for a few long moments they just stood in awkward silence, Nile watching his taller counterpart with slightly narrowed eyes - until a gruff smile made his way onto his face. "It's good to see you, too." His eyes looked Erwin up and down and he slightly shook his head. "Somehow you haven't changed a bit." 

The chuckle erupting Erwin's chest sounded as relieved as he truly felt - he had imagined their first meeting after all that time to be more awkward. And he was really glad that he had been wrong. 

"You look old, though." Apprehending their awkward meeting for quite some time hadn't lessened his daring to make a smart remark at all, though. A smart remark that made Nile pause, his eyes narrowing considerably, and Erwin waved him off with another smile. "I'm dallying." He was sure Nile knew - they had known each other for ages, after all. 

Nile raised his eyebrows and then jerked his head into the direction of a double-winged door which would, Erwin assumed, lead out onto a balcony, and he nodded before following Nile over to the doors. He was sure that they had quite a few things to tell each other and doing that required some privacy. Given the cold of late October Erwin highly doubted people's desire to spent time on the balcony when there was warmth and music and food inside. 

He was right. When he opened the doors and stepped onto the balcony, holding one of the doors open for Nile before closing it behind them, they found the balcony deserted. Perfect, Erwin thought to himself when he followed Nile over to the balustrade and sighed at the quiet of the night. The music was muted down by the closed doors and he was thankful for the escape Nile had provided him. He turned to his former comrade and frowned slightly when Nile handed him one of the glasses. Inclining his head he placed his hand on the balustrade while hooking the other thumb into the hip belt of his uniform. 

"Thank you, but I'm still not fond of wine." 

Nile rolled his eyes and set the second glass down on the balustrade. 

"Come on, Erwin, unwind a little once in a while." 

Erwin raised his eyebrows and eyed the glass in a most uninspired way before shifting his gaze back to Nile. 

"You know I try avoiding it as much as possible. The drinking, that is." 

The man rolled his eyes again and pushed the tall glass towards Erwin's hand, nudging it against his fingers. 

"You avoid unwinding, too. Come on, pretty boy, just one glass. It's not going to make you drunk. You did eat, right? Just drink, it's good against the cold, too." 

Erwin's eyebrows wandered towards his neat hairline again when he heard the nickname that he hadn't been called in ages - and even though it was neither appropriate nor a name he particularly liked he smiled a little and wrapped his fingers around the stem of the glass, pulling it towards him with his own slight rolling of his eyes. 

"Fine, this one glass. You will shut up then, won't you?" 

The man grinned and nodded, raising his glass in expectation. Erwin sighed and clinked glasses with Nile before taking a little sip of the red wine. It wasn't that bad, he just didn't like what the beverage could do if consumed irresponsibly. 

They fell silent again, Nile taking sips of his wine while Erwin mostly swirled the dark red liquid around in the expensive glass. The silence was a comfortable one, unexpectedly so. Erwin had been sure that their first encounter after their intense parting would be very uncomfortable. Yet he felt the need to break the silence, feeling entitled to start their conversation. 

"I heard you've been promoted. It's lieutenant Dawk now, isn't it? Congratulations." 

The black-haired man smiled and inclined his head, a gesture of acceptance of Erwin's congratulation, before taking another sip of his wine. 

"Thank you. Yeah, it's been a few months now and I'm kind of proud…" His eyes briefly fixed the badge on Erwin's chest, the one that he only wore because of the formal occasion of the function, before looking up into his face again. "But who am I talking to, corporal Smith. That's a huge step; I didn't think you'd live long enough to be promoted again."

Erwin's slight smile didn't falter in the slightest upon the last few words even though he did pick up on the testy undertone vibrating in them. He bit back a sigh when he leaned his hip against the banister, getting himself into a more comfortable position. 

"Bad grass never dies, Nile. But thank you." 

The man snorted and shook his head, taking another sip from his glass and Erwin did the same before addressing the black-haired man again, the wine's heavy flavor lingering on his tongue. 

"I take it you're still stationed here?" 

He saw the little flash in the lieutenant's greyish eyes, giving away his annoyance about Erwin navigating the topic of their conversation elsewhere, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come - and Nile just answered him, apparently not bothered in the slightest. 

"Yes, it's convenient. I've been away from my people long enough." 

Erwin nodded to that and lowered his gaze to his glass, swirling the deep red liquid around. Nile had indeed been away from their hometown for a while after his military training - he had joined the Scouting Legion with Mike and Erwin when they had graduated. 

He took a sip of his wine and smiled slightly when he looked back up at Nile. 

"You've always been the family-type." 

The black-haired man snorted again and nodded gruffly. Oh yes, family, stability, domesticity had always been important to Nile, even when they had still been kids.   
Nile had left the recon corps after their first expedition outside the walls - Erwin hadn't been surprised at all. Nile had never been right there; not because he lacked strength or courage, no. Simply because he wasn't ready to give his everything to the corps. 

"And you certainly have never been." 

Erwin chuckled upon hearing that. While Erwin would have more than gladly volunteered to stay at the trainee camp for the Wall-festivities and new year's holidays Nile had always gladly gone back to Hermiha to spend his free time with his parents and his siblings. Granted, he didn't have a father who didn't approve of his decision to decline further academic studies in favor of becoming a soldier at all. 

"No. My conviction is stronger than the need for stability." 

Nile looked up at him on that, snorting for the third time and his eyes narrowing just the slightest bit - but it was enough to let Erwin know what he was referring to when he said: "Yeah, I know about that one."   
Yeah, Nile was definitely still processing the whole thing. 

"I'm sorry.", Erwin said, and he left it up to Nile to decide what he took the apology for - Nile might feel that Erwin owed him an apology for a lot of things. 

Nile looked at him for a while, eyebrows arched, until he shook his head lightly and took another sip of his wine. 

"You should be." 

Erwin lifted his glass to his lips as well to play over the brief second of surprise. Oh? He hadn't expected that - because it sounded like Nile didn't necessarily want to resume the conversation on that topic any longer. The last time they had 'discussed' the sensitive topic he had refused to let go of it, starting over and over again. 

Momentarily lost in his thoughts he also hadn't expected Nile to step closer, lean in and to feel the man's familiar lips brush against his own the very next second. It only lasted another second and then Nile stepped back, keeping their perfectly appropriate distance once again. Erwin stared at him and felt a light frown push its way onto his face before his eyes glanced over to the double winged door, half expecting somebody to watch them - but there wasn't anybody. Nile turned to face the garden, propping himself up on his elbows and holding the upper part of the tall glass loose in his fingers. 

"Don't worry, no one can see us from inside. You could receive a blow job right here and nobody would notice if they aren't walking right in on you." 

Erwin's brows wandered towards his hairline and he shook his head, sipping his wine. 

"I'd rather not try it." 

The black-haired man snorted and he saw him roll his eyes before the lieutenant emptied his glass. 

"I wasn't offering, Erwin." 

"Good." He couldn't help but finding that very relieving. Because the thought of Nile still considering giving him a blow job an option was unsettling. 

Nile didn't seem to want to press the subject any further so Erwin decided to go along with it, directing the conversation away from this again. He turned the other way, leaning back against the balustrade and facing the building they had been in before. 

"So, how are things here in Hermiha? I hope everything is going well?", he said, raising the still half full glass to his lips. 

Nile placed his own glass aside, looked back at the building as if contemplating getting a refill but decided to stay where he was. He sighed and leaned on his arms, looking into the dark garden underneath them. 

"Not really, to be honest." 

Erwin turned his head into the other man's direction and arched his eyebrows, looking at his former comrade curiously. 

"What's happening?" 

Nile sighed again and turned his head as well, his narrow eyes fixated on Erwin. 

"We're having severe problems with the Black Rose." 

That made Erwin frown - because he really hadn't expected that. 

"Why? And how?", he asked, tilting his head to the side in question. The Black Rose wasn't an organization to have problems with. They were a guild of merchants, selling food and other materials to the cities because they were a confraternity of people owning land. In order to not ruin each others prices they had decided to work together and hand in hand with the government - having problems with the people supplying you with food and resources was very bad. 

Nile's lips tightened and he reached for the glass, wiping away a stain on the plinth with his thumb. 

"I don't know if you've heard about the murdering criminal that we've been searching for for a while?" 

Erwin thanked whoever there was to accept his gratefulness for his ability to keep his facial expression under control even in a situation of unpleasant surprise. He really, really hadn't expected this topic to come up - which might have been foolish, Levi had recently killed four people in one night and of course that was keeping the Military Police busy. But he didn't see the connection between the Black Rose and Levi at all so he wondered why Nile was bringing it up. He was sure the black-haired lieutenant would elaborate gladly - and Erwin would have to keep his guards up. He knew things that Nile was probably dying to know, he had to be careful. 

His frown deepened, a natural reaction to his confusion. 

"Yes, somebody mentioned it when we moved into the spare quarter." He would stick exactly to what happened - minus the fact that he had witnessed Levi kill people and had then decided to offer the brusque stray a place to stay. 

Nile nodded and when he glanced back to the building again, clearly contemplating getting them more wine, Erwin just offered his tall glass to the shorter man. He wasn't going to drink up - he couldn't risk saying anything that would sound suspicious. And it was a well-known fact that wine loosened your tongue. 

Nile frowned at him but then shrugged, accepting the glass from Erwin's hands and taking a little sip before continuing. 

"This son of a bitch seems to be having issues with the Black Rose." 

His repeated frowning was very genuine because he really didn't understand what Nile was talking about. Levi having a problem with the Black Rose? That… didn't make sense. Why would Levi even care? As far as Erwin knew (and Levi had consolidated his conception of the situation when they had hidden behind that stack of rubble this very morning) the boy had killed in order to evade starvation and defend himself - why would the Black Rose even be of interest to him? 

"What makes you think that?", he asked, consciously not appearing even half as curious as he really was. 

The Military Police lieutenant frowned into the dark garden angrily, obviously bearing the clever thief he'd been chasing with his comrades a huge grudge. Erwin couldn't blame him, he imagined it to be very frustrating. 

"Because the last 7 victims all bore their mark. Really, we don't know anything about him. He's like a phantom, never leaving traces or witnesses. We always thought that he just killed witnesses of his crimes - but seeing that the last murdered people were all having their mark we start rethinking his profile." 

Erwin listened closely, his face carefully guarded because, after he had already been surprised, he expected to hear more things that were new to him. Not necessarily because Levi had lied to him or because he was lacking information, no. Somebody else telling the same story always cast a different light on a situation - but, admittedly, the things Nile told him surprised him. Levi… specifically killing people bearing the Black Rose's mark…? If there had been one person bearing the brand of a black rose's outlines on their lower arm it might have been coincidence. But seven in a row…? Erwin dared exclude coincidence because it was highly improbable. Hadn't Levi told him this very morning that he didn't have old accounts? No people seeking revenge or that he had dirty business with? Erwin had believed him, he still did - but he wasn't able to fit the newest pieces of information in the picture he was slowly drawing of Levi. He either had 1) lied to Erwin and tricked him successfully - or he 2) simply wasn't the person Nile was talking about. Erwin had never really had it confirmed, after all, he was merely strongly suspecting that Levi was the thief/killer they were searching for. Or… there was 3) another very coherent explanation that he just didn't see yet. Whatever it was Erwin would have to find out - and he would start with getting all the information he could out of Nile without being suspicious. 

He placed his palms on the balustrade and pushed himself off the ground, hopping onto the balustrade to sit on it because he was tired of standing. His attention never shifted off Nile, though, and he didn't lose time to continue their conversation. 

"He's already killed seven people?", he asked even though, if Levi really was the person they were talking about, he knew that he might have killed many more. 

Nile looked at him and snorted, taking a good sip of the wine as though he needed the alcohol in that moment. 

"He's killed more than that, Erwin. The last time he killed four at once." 

Inwardly Erwin cursed - because Nile had just confirmed that they were really searching for Levi. Possibility 2) seemed to just have been excluded.   
Erwin nodded slowly and looked at Nile with raised eyebrows. 

"Sounds like a terrifyingly strong and skilled fighter to me.", he said, lulling Nile into the conversation by showing empathy. He was highly rational, though, going through possibilities in his head and making sure that he was looking at every little detail. 

The black-haired lieutenant made a disapproving sound and crossed his legs at his ankles, shifting his weight to his left leg. 

"Yeah. And it's not only that, he's clever. He is said to be able to pick about every lock, he's strong, silent, merciless. The perfect killer… I'm really uneasy about him being out there. You never know when he'll strike again, there is no pattern. Maybe he kills for money, we know nothing about his motives." 

Erwin processed the information, feeling the need to confirm a few things before allowing himself to judge the situation. This… didn't sound like Levi at all. He was far from claiming to know the dark-haired boy - but something in him told him that this was not at all corresponding to what he knew. 

Addressing Nile again he made the resolution that he wouldn't judge anything until he hadn't talked to Levi in person about this. 

"How do you know it's always the same killer?" 

Nile looked at him and cocked his head to the side, smiling just a little bit - Erwin caught the haughty edge even though Nile tried his best to hide it. 

"Because we compared the wounds and the way all these people were killed and can tell that it's exactly the same. He uses a rather short but very sharp knife - the angle of his stabs tell us that he's short but strong. Mostly his victims put up a fight. Erwin, drinking wine and playing cards is not ALL the Military Police does." 

A group of people inside the building chose this moment to cheer drunkenly at something and Erwin grinned a little lopsidedly, extending a hand to pat Nile's shoulder. 

"Maybe it's not what ALL officers do." 

Nile shrugged him off and grimaced, shaking his head a little before almost entirely draining the glass he was still holding.

"Many may be rotten but there are still people doing their job. We're going to get this bastard and make this city safer once again." 

Erwin smiled at him and hopped off the balustrade, leaning in and kissing Nile on the cheek briefly before looking at him. 

"Just never lose your obstinacy, Nile.", he said, finding his old comrade's enthusiasm, in a way, endearing. Nile wasn't a bad person - their opinions about and attitude towards things were just not compatible. 

He could see the hint of a blush on the man's cheeks and he used his being flustered to change the topic again - he had heard all he needed from Nile. Which made Erwin direct the conversation far away from Levi - and he knew Nile well enough to be able to do that thoroughly. 

"So how is Mary?" 

The way Nile's face contorted from his awkwardness at having been kissed by Erwin to his great confusion about being asked about Mary was amusing to watch - one of their former comrades had told Erwin that Nile was apparently in contact with the pretty girl. Which Erwin was very happy to hear - despite his history with the blond daughter of a well-known baker he'd highly approve of Nile seeing her. 

Nile went right back to blushing when he conquered his confusion and he looked away, drinking up the last remaining bit of wine from Erwin's glass. 

"She's fine I guess…? How would I… why do you ask?" 

Erwin smiled and put his hand on Nile's shoulder again, squeezing gently. 

"You should ask her out, Nile. I know you've always liked her. And she really is a great girl." 

Oh yes, Mary was great… so pretty and sweet and endearing that Erwin had asked her out a few times when he and Nile had still been in training. He had been experimenting a lot in the past and Mary as well as Nile had been part of that - but in the end he had decided that his conviction wouldn't allow him to indulge in romance. So he had cut himself free. And it was time for them to do the same - especially Nile. 

The black-haired lieutenant stared at him and Erwin wondered if he was more taken aback by his encouraging Nile to go after somebody who wasn't Erwin or the idea of him dating Mary of all people. Nile cleared his throat and avoided looking at Erwin when he spoke up. 

"You… wouldn't mind…?" 

Erwin wondered again what the question really was, him minding Nile seeing somebody who wasn't Erwin or him minding Nile seeing Mary because she had been Erwin's girlfriend in the past - and he decided that it didn't really matter. It wasn't his place to ask or to know, he had left both of them - he just wanted them to know that they could do whatever they wanted. 

"Not at all, Nile." 

The man pressed his lips into a thin line for a moment but then he nodded - and Erwin smiled. 

A rather chilly breeze sweeping through the garden made Erwin shiver and he rubbed his hands together in order to warm them up a little before gathering up the empty glass that had been Nile's and motioned towards the double winged door. 

"Shall we go back inside? It's getting cold." 

Nile nodded gruffly and they made their way back into the ballroom, the warmth they were diving into extreme after the time spent outside in the cold.   
They didn't seem to have missed a lot - Erwin just got the impression that the attendants of the function had indulged in the dark red wine a lot more since they had left the room. The atmosphere was less uptight - and Erwin felt the strong urge to just go back to the headquarters. Such parties were bad enough when the attendants were sober and it only got worse with the increasing consume of alcohol. 

He was already looking around the room to find his commander when a voice that he deemed familiar addressed them both and he turned to see who it was. 

"Is that really Smith, Nile?" 

Erwin needed a moment to remember the man's name but he surely recognized him. He had been one of the tops of their class, too – he must have been, he was wearing the green unicorn of the Military Police on his uniform. His name was Dalf and they had often studied together when they had been in Military training. Erwin watched the red-haired man approach them and couldn't suppress thinking that while he still disliked functions, this one made him see a few old comrades and that was a nice thing.

“It's good to see you, Dalf. It's been years.”, he greeted him, smiling when the other man stopped in front of Nile and him to meet his slightly weary expression. Another one of the people who didn't really know how to act around him, if smiling was even appropriate or too much joy in the face of a person who saw and escaped death. 

The red-haired man slowly returned the smile and hesitantly raised his free hand (of course he was holding a glass in the other) to pat Erwin on the back, growing more confident with every passing second. 

“It's great to see you, too, Erwin. Corporal Smith? I've heard about it, congratulations – I guess?”, he said, frowning a little at his last words. Erwin chuckled and nodded, momentarily being distracted by the sight of Dallis Zacklay greeting the Military Police commander, Jarvis Aschner, behind Dalf's back before turning his attention back to the man. 

“Yes, it's an honour to be entrusted with this position.” Being his commander's corporal basically made him second in command, he was in charge of the soldiers in battle – in the end he was the executive of the commander's decisions. It was a big responsibility for him and he would do everything in his power to be worthy of the trust he was receiving. 

The red-haired man nodded insightfully and then shook his head, giving Erwin another pat on the back. “I'll probably never get your devotion but it's an admirable quality.” He smiled and then gestured over to the sitting area where another few Military policemen were sitting and talking (and drinking) – Erwin was rather sure that they had been the ones cheering earlier when he had been outside on the balcony with Nile. “Let's sit down and have a drink. God knows when we'll have another chance to drink together?” His eyes swept Erwin briefly before settling back on Nile and Erwin was just about to tell him how he still didn't like to indulge in wine when Dalf looked at him with an expression that was half a smile and half a frown. 

“Come on, Erwin. Just a glass or two, for the sake of good old times. I'm sure we have some stories to tell to each other.” 

That was very likely to be true. Erwin hesitated a moment but then gave in, sighing and then jerking his head towards the sitting area. 

“Fine. But I'm sure you won't like most of the stories that I have in store.”, he said. It was a fair warning, people mostly disliked to hear about adventures outside the walls because it made them remember that the titans and the terror evaporating off them were really there, right on the other side of the wall. 

Dalf grimaced but then lead Nile and Erwin over to the other Military Police officers, looking at Erwin over his shoulder. “You could tell us about funny things. I'm sure funny things even happen in the Scouting Legion's headquarters!” 

Laughing at that Erwin nodded and then sat down on a couch next to Nile, accepting the glass that was held out to him immediately. Sighing inwardly he swore to himself that he would just have a glass and then go home, he had to get up early tomorrow morning because they had to get Levi's clothes before they left for their headquarters. So getting seriously drunk just wasn't an option and even though the Military Policemen would make it hard for him he would leave in a little while. 

They were making it very hard for him, indeed. The longer Erwin sat with his former comrades (another two of his trainee squad's top ten had joined them because they had ended up being stationed in Hermiha) the more he relaxed around them. The topic of the criminal the Mps were searching for hadn't resurfaced so he had sipped his glass of wine feeling safe doing so. Of course they had tried refilling his glass once it had been empty and he had managed to turn down the first few attempts. But when they were getting caught up in memories of their time in the trainee camp and more stories were told he didn't fend them off any longer, he had another glass – and then another. 

He had no idea how long they had been sitting there, it could have been half an hour as well as three, but after a while he felt the alcohol's effects. His extremities were tingling and pleasant warmth had spread through his body. When being drunk Erwin's didn't get more vocal or started cheering, he rather went quiet and thoughts that were too complicated to be grasped in his drunken state clogged his mind. He was aware of Nile's thigh touching his own but he couldn't find it in himself to move his leg, he felt too heavy and lazy. 

It was when he was listening to Patrick tell another story that their attention was drawn to loud noises coming from outside the ball room which Erwin vaguely recognized as agitated voices and screams when he concentrated on that for a few seconds. Slowly more and more heads turned towards the door and when it was suddenly flung open it got everybody's attention. 

A flock of people tumbled into the room, some of them wearing the Military Police's uniform while the others seemed to be civilians from the slums, judging from their dirty and tattered clothes. Their increased proximity had increased the volume of the voices and screams and Erwin just needed a few second to realize that the Military Police tried to push back the civilians who were infiltrating these premises without invitation. 

“You pigs have a fat feast while people starve on the streets!”, one of the men screamed before a Military Police officer gutted him with his knee, making the man sink to the floor with a gurgling noise. 

The party recoiled from the display of desperation and violence, some women cried and covered their mouths with their hands to hide their fear/disgust/pity, whatever it was they were feeling. Some of the present Military Police functionaries hurried to help the officers with quieting the furious mob and taking them back outside while Erwin was really tempted to do the exact opposite. Those people were right. The upper class of this country didn't care at all about what was happening to the poorer people. As long as they got their wine and food and all luxuries available things were fine to them – while the people working for them and the unemployed, homeless people stole food from each other to survive. And when they tried protesting against the treatment they were beaten up and hushed down to keep more people from protesting. Because the upper class was completely fine the way they were, holding on to their haughty conviction that the walls would provide them with safety and the working class with food forever.

It made Erwin angry, their ignorance towards what was happening around them – and when a little child who ran towards the rich buffet to reach for a little loaf of bread was being hit by a Military Police officer Erwin didn't hesitate but got up, took two (admittedly fairly clumsy) steps towards that soldier and grabbed his wrist before he could hit the little girl again. The officer turned towards him and Erwin expected to be attacked, preparing to defend himself when a loud voice boomed through the room and got all of their attention. 

“Enough of this! Get this dirty pack out of here immediately!”

Jarvis Aschner's voice had his men moving, without exception, and it was only a matter of minutes that the civilians had been removed from the room, threatened with rifles or carried or jostled outside. Erwin stared at the tall man with the sparse graying hair, trying to swallow the anger that was coiling in him. Because it was so wrong. All of this was so wrong, the existence of a Military Police was so wrong – they should be out there, helping people, doing SOMETHING instead of being here and drinking. 

The Military Police's commander looked around the room where the nobles were talking to each other agitatedly, whispering or speaking with hushed voices but they seemed to relax now that the 'threat' had been removed. He glared and then shook his head, taking a huge sip from the glass in his hands that he hadn't even put aside during the unforeseen occurrence. 

“How dare they? These dirty waster of space and food, thieves and criminals they all are. More of them should starve, that would spare us so much hassle. These fucking-”, he started again but was interrupted when Dallis Zacklay grabbed his arm and pulled him away, giving the man and then the people watching a strained smile. “Everybody calm down, all is well. Come on, Jarvis.”, he said and then proceeded to lead the still sputtering commander to a door leading out of the room, closing it behind them. 

Not having expected that Erwin frowned at the door for a second before turning around, looking at the Military Policemen that he had drunk with just a few minutes ago – they were returning to their seats and picking up their glasses like nothing had even happened. Lars turned around on the sofa and waved Erwin over, patting the empty spot right next to him. But Erwin just stared, shaking his head. Even in his befuddled state of being drunk (and it had only gotten worse since he had gotten up, it seemed like the alcohol had started really spreading in his body when he had taken a couple of steps) he shook his head, feeling so entirely repulsed by them all. They had just beaten up a group of civilians because they were hungry. Erwin felt nauseous. He felt the strong urge to leave immediately – and that was exactly what he did. He turned around and walked towards the tall double winged door leading out of the ball room, concentrating on walking as straight as possible. Which probably failed really badly but he didn't care, he had to leave immediately. The mere thought of having another drop of that wine cut with blood, of that food paid with blood money made him sick. 

He was already out of the building, inhaling the clear cold air of the night deeply into his lungs, when his arm was grabbed and he was pushed against the wall. Recognizing Nile in front of him he relaxed but the look he gave the man was nowhere near friendly. Which seemed to confuse Nile because the man frowned at him, placing a hand on Erwin's arm. 

“What's wrong, Erwin? Just leaving like that, it's rude.” 

He stared at Nile, wondering if the man really didn't know what Erwin was so angry about. He should know Erwin well enough to understand it – but he probably didn't. He was so convinced that the Military Police was doing a great job that he didn't see how messed up their morals and rules really were. Erwin just shook his head and then made to push past Nile. 

“I'm going back to the headquarters.”, he said, not liking the way his voice sounded. He was drawling, of course. He had had too much wine, more than he could handle – he had never handled the beverage very well. He had to go back to their quarters and sleep it off as much as he could in the few remaining hours until he had to get up again. 

As good as his plan sounded to his ears Nile didn't seem to agree with him, he shoved him back against the wall. He was sure that the man had had way more wine than Erwin himself but Nile was used to drinking it like water so he was in a much better state. He was still at an advantage, both in height and strength, so he decided to give Nile a chance to explain what his problem was before leaving. 

He didn't really lose time in showing Erwin exactly what his problem was, the next thing Erwin knew was Nile putting his arms around him and running his hands down his back underneath his jacket and familiar lips kissing his neck, making him shiver. For a moment, for a fleeting little moment Erwin wanted to just close his eyes and go along with it, feeling a familiar burning hunger for another body, for heat and friction and pleasure – but he pushed Nile away in the next. He looked at him, taking in his flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips, before shaking his head. 

“Don't Nile. You can't have me, I'll never be yours.”, he said, trying to sound as serious and sober as he could and hoped that Nile understood. Even if he agreed to do it, even if he fucked Nile right there and then, he would walk away without feeling a thing afterwards. And he knew that wasn't enough for Nile. 

The shorter man stared at him, raking a hand through his hair and Erwin decided that it was time to leave. He pushed away from the wall and after giving Nile a little apologetic smile he started heading for their quarter. All he wanted was collapsing in his bed – and return to things that he found useful, like trying to convince the government to let them equip the walls with cannons. 

“Bastard.”, he heard Nile hiss behind him and he closed his eyes, raising a hand in greeting before casting a look over his shoulder. “Farewell, Nile.”, he said, seeing the fury clearly displayed on the man's features – but he walked on, thinking that it was maybe the best if they parted that way. 

So he walked, concentrating on not stumbling, towards their temporary quarters, where Levi was probably fast asleep already on top of the wardrobe. Erwin hoped that the cold air of the night would help him sober up but somehow it didn't help at all – he somehow felt increasingly drunk by the minute. He just prayed to whatever there was that he would make it back to the spare quarters in one piece. 

~*~ 

A usual person probably would have found deep and recreative sleep in the silence of the room – but Levi was just not the usual person. If he had been he would lie on the mattress a few feet lower instead of on top of the wardrobe, curled up in blankets and trying to find a comfortable position. He had retreated to the top of the wardrobe some time ago to try to get some sleep – but so far he had been unsuccessful. He was uneasy. The events of the day didn't allow him to rest and the knowledge that the corporal would return to his quarters at some point during the night kept him awake. Every time that he came close to drifting off to sleep his sensible ears would alarm him of a noise, as quiet es it might have been. Groaning in frustration he turned onto his back to face the ceiling that was just a few feet above him. 

He should have been tired... he hadn't really rested since Erwin had left him alone in his office. After sitting on the window sill for quite a while he had actually attempted to take a nap, in the bed that he had never slept in, and had found it impossible. Feeling vulnerable and paranoid wasn't conductive to relaxing enough to sleep; so he had decided to leave the room. Walking around on the quarter's premises didn't seem dangerous to him because the other soldiers knew about him by now and the few people that he did meet weren't really paying attention to him. 

After spending some time in the stables and feeding carrots to Flakes and the other horses he had cautiously poked his head into the kitchen because he assumed that the women who cooked their meals were also taking care of their laundry. And he had been right – he just hadn't been allowed to leave with the bundle of clothes right away. He had had his ribs poked, which made the executing woman gasp because he was apparently 'only skin and bones', and had had his cheeks patted and to endure the women's fussing over him for a little while. They ended up keeping him hostage until he had eaten a huge bowl of some kind of yellowish pate that tasted a little like the pudding Erwin had given him, but not quite. Not that he complained, getting food that he didn't have to steal was always welcome – and he had been hungry anyway. Erwin's absence left him responsible for getting food on his own if he wanted it – but seeing that the woman in the kitchen were more than willing to provide him with as much as he wanted he didn't need to worry about that. 

Assuring the women that he would come back later to get his dinner Levi left with their laundry, making his resolution that he would just dump the corporal's clothes on his bed and only fold his own. But, after having accurately folded his own things, the sight of the untidy heap became more and more unbearable with every passing minute – so he ended up also folding Erwin's clothes and neatly setting them inside of the wardrobe. Levi figured that they would put their clothes into some kind of bag to transport them to the scouting legion's headquarters but he couldn't find any so he left it at that. 

He sighed, shifting again and struggling one of his legs out of the blankets because he was too warm. Being used to sleeping outside even in winter made him overheat easily in the cocoon of blankets he had wrapped himself into. Damn the corporal for staying out so long, Levi thought while staring at the ceiling. What annoyed him the most, and he only begrudgingly admitted it, was his not being sure whether the thought of the corporal returning while he was asleep or his mere absence made him more uneasy and therefore unable to sleep. He didn't feel threatened by the man anymore – and he usually was very well able to sleep when Erwin was in the room. 

His musings came to an abrupt halt when he heard noises in the adjacent office and he stiffened, listening closely as he tried to identify if it was only one person causing the noises. He thought so but he (he assumed it was the corporal returning from the function) made an awful lot of noise for being one person. Levi frowned, drawing in his legs and leaning on his elbow, his knife in his hand within fractions of seconds. He was ready for whoever decided to enter the room – and when the noisy person did so his frown deepened even though he released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in. It was indeed the scouting legion's corporal, he recognized his haircut and shape in the moonlight shining in through the window. But he was moving in a strange way, he wasn't... walking straight and he even bumped into the wardrobe Levi was perched on top of, making the whole damn wooden furniture shake due to the impact. Levi stared down at him, watching him fall onto his bed and then pathetically trying to take off his boots – which failed, repeatedly, as the man continuously lost his balance and ended up flat on his back on the mattress, wheezing out an almost pitiful laugh. Levi's brows knit together while he stared at the man trying to heave himself up into a sitting position again. 

Was he... drunk? So drunk that he was crashing into furniture and not even able to take off his clothes? 

Levi swallowed thickly when being hit by the realization that there was no other explanation for the man's behaviour, or at least he couldn't think of one. And it made him uncomfortable – his experiences with alcohol and people having had too much of it weren't at all pleasant. Either drunk soldiers being violent or drunk people taking too many liberties, Levi had learned that these people were to be avoided. But... seeing the blond corporal struggle with his boots was barely an alarming sight. Considering the fact that Erwin hadn't yet noticed him being awake he considered just turning around and trying to finally sleep – but he spoiled the plan before even lying down again. 

“Are you drunk?”, he asked into the silence of the room that was only broken by the rustling of clothes and the corporal's occasional rude cursing when he failed another attempt at trying to rid himself of his boots. When he registered Levi's voice he stilled and looked up to where he was bound to suspect Levi, an action that caused him to lose balance and to land flat on his back again. He heard him laugh and his hands fell to his sides, apparently he gave up trying. 

“I... kinda am, yeah...”, he said, slurring his words in a way that made denying it utterly impossible. “Thought y'd be 'sleep, Levi.” He swallowed whole syllables which made it hard for Levi to fully understand him - but at least he knew who he was. That fact and the way he was trying to struggle himself upright again, pitifully so, made the boy say what he said next. 

“Do you... need help?”, he asked the man, biting his lip immediately when the words left his mouth. He absolutely wasn't keen on getting down there, even being in the drunk man's presence. Drunk people couldn't be trusted even if they appeared to be decent people when being sober. Although... looking at the pathetic state the corporal was in Levi didn't have any doubts that he could very well deal with him if he really had to. He would keep his knife with him, just in case – but the man couldn't sleep like that, in his dirty clothes and leather straps and especially with his boots still on his feet. Levi wrinkled his nose in disgust. 

The corporal needed a few moments to react to his words, but he did when he collapsed onto his back one more time. “That... 'd be hi'ly... appr'ciated...”he slurred and Levi rolled his eyes, untangling himself from the blankets he had been wrapped in. As much as he wanted to stay away from him he felt the need to get down there and help the man – Erwin had been helpful to him and he wanted to do something for him in return. Even if it was helping him out of his shoes because he was currently incapable of doing this on his own. 

“'m sorry tha you n'd ter get 'own 'ere, Levi.”, the corporal muttered while Levi hopped down onto the untouched bed with ease, stepping down to the floor. “It's okay.”, Levi replied, approaching the corporal's bed cautiously. “I was awake anyway.” He decided to get to work right away and placed his hands at the man's calve and heel, moving the latter hand until the boot could be slid off Erwin's leg. He repeated the treatment on his other leg and soon placed the boots neatly in front of his bed, straightening up afterwards. Already intent on getting back up onto the wardrobe he realized that he couldn't leave him like this, he was still wearing the clothes he had been wearing most of the day. Frowning slightly he pulled his bottom lip in with his teeth, chewing on it lightly. The man needed to take off his jacket, the leather straps, shirt and socks, at least, but he was in no shape to do that himself – Levi was sure that he would fall into a drunken slumber if he left the man there like this. But as much as he hated the thought that HE would have to be the one to take off the man's clothing he hated the thought of leaving him like this even more. So, taking a deep breath and glaring at him with furrowed brows, he stepped closer to him and grabbed his wrists to pull at his arms, trying to get the man to sit up. When Erwin groaned and didn't really make any effort to help him Levi hissed at him in frustration, giving his arms another sharp yank. 

“MOVE you useless sack of flour, you can't sleep like that. Get up for fuck's sake.”, he growled, eventually getting the man to sit upright. Blue, unfocused eyes were staring at him for a few seconds until the man couldn't hold his head up anymore and he slumped forward, resting his head on Levi's shoulder while his hands grabbed his other shoulder and his hip for support. 

He went rigid beneath the man's touch and while his heart jumped violently in his ribcage he was very close to just pushing him away so hard that he would be knocked back flat onto the mattress again - but the man's murmured words made him pause. 

“'m sorry t' be sush a b'ther, Levi.”, the man told him, and Levi glared at the heavy head on his shoulder while trying to calm his racing heartbeat. His hands just grabbed him to steady himself, they didn't wander off to touch him anywhere else. And he seemed to be focused despite having lost most of his motor and articulation skills – that was what calmed the boy a little. Levi took a deep breath and raised his hands to push the man's jacket off his broad shoulders, sliding it down and got a little help by the corporal bending his arms backwards awkwardly so Levi could remove the jacket from his body. He moved away to hang the jacket over the back of a chair at the small table and Erwin held himself upright by leaning his elbows onto his knees, bending forward so he wouldn't fall backwards again. However, when Levi moved back to stand in front of him and unbuckled the leather strap on his chest the man's arms returned to his hips and shoulders, making him stiffen once more. He could feel the man's body heat radiating off him and it went right through his clothes underneath the man's hands, making him shiver. He could smell him, too, an odd mixture of the cologne he had put onto himself to impress a girl that afternoon, the wine he had consumed and a hint of sweat – Levi didn't find it disgusting, oddly enough. Drunk people usually reeked – but then again he had mostly met drunk people who weren't clean and smelling good even when being sober. 

The corporal tried keeping his head up but he couldn't focus on Levi's eyes, so he closed his own and his head sank onto Levi's shoulder, again, with a groan. The boy pushed the straps past the curves of his shoulders and pried Erwin's hands off of his body long enough to make him slip out of the upper part of the maneuver gear before he placed them back where Erwin apparently needed them with a huff. 

Next thing to come off was the white dress shirt and Levi set to unbuttoning his shirt, figuring the quicker he got the task done the sooner he could crawl back onto the wardrobe. When the corporal suddenly turned his head his warm breath hit the skin on Levi's neck and he shivered again, feeling the hair at the back of his neck stand on ends. 

“Do... y'r shoul'ers s'ill 'urt?”, the corporal asked him and Levi felt his skin explode into goosebumps at the renewed assault of warm air hitting his neck and throat and he closed his eyes for a moment, to calm himself and to steady his hands in order to not push against the man's body. He wasn't doing anything alarming and he wasn't doing it on purpose, but he made Levi uncomfortable – because of the way his body, naturally, reacted. 

He shook his head, but then, figuring that the man probably couldn't differ between a nod and a shake of his head in his current position, repeated his answer out loud. “No,”, he said, “not until I strain them.” The man clearly remembered who Levi was, remembered that he had hurt his shoulders – the knowledge calmed him again, he trusted the man to not do something funny while he was drunk. 

Levi pushed the shirt off the man's shoulders when he was done unbuttoning it, and while he had already noticed that the man wasn't wearing anything underneath the white dress shirt he gulped when he revealed the man's bare chest. It was quite an impressive sight; although Levi had already experienced the man's strength first hand, he vividly remembered being pushed against the wall in his office roughly, his arms contorted behind his back painfully and held there easily because all his violent struggling was useless against this overpowering force, seeing the broad chest, muscular arms and stomach up so close was intimidating anyway. If that alone wasn't enough to prove that Erwin Smith was a man to be feared if he was your enemy, there were the scars. Even perceptible in the pale moonlight the lines crisscrossed his body, short, long, uneven and straight they drew patterns on his skin – telling the observer countless stories of survival. 

Levi was transfixed for several long moments, following the lines with his eyes and trying to imagine how titans might have inflicted them; but given his lack of imagination as to what the titans really looked like he gave up quickly. He did reach out a hand though, absentmindedly tracing a particular long scar down the man's chest with his fingertips. Having his own share of scars he knew the tenderness of the new skin that grew underneath scab when the wound was allowed to heal properly; he only found that on Erwin Smith' body. His skin was warm, he thought, and when the body underneath his fingers suddenly twitched he snatched his hand back as though its warmth had burnt him. A blush crept into his cheeks when the corporal produced a non-committal, inquiring sound and he yanked the shirt off his body impatiently, putting all the resurfacing frustration in his movement when he shoved hard against the man's chest to knock him over and make him fall onto the mattress again. 

“You're really utterly useless, stupid sot.”, he snapped at him when he moved down the bed a little to open the waist belt of the gear and the protective leather loincloth underneath, pulling the latter out from beneath his body with a rough yank. The corporal even assisted a little by raising his hips, which Levi huffed to and went to open the remaining buckles on the man's muscular thighs and the various snap fasteners that made putting the complicated net of leather straps on and off a lot easier. Levi was having a closer look at the mechanics of the gear for the first time and he had to admit that if he had to put the damned thing onto himself he would probably need some time – or even a little assistance until he memorized which leather belt had to be strapped tightly to which of his body parts. 

When he was finally done with undoing at the various fasteners he none too gently pushed against the corporal's body until he could remove his gear from underneath him and went over to the wardrobe to hang it up neatly. Having that entangled was probably enough to drive a soldier crazy he mused when he returned to the bed, looking down at the corporal to see what was left to do. Which was a part he grimaced about but again he couldn't bring himself to leave the man like that, still wearing his socks, even though the thought of touching them repulsed him. He took hold of one of his slack legs again, reaching for the leg part of his sock to peel it off his foot by touching the sock as well as his foot as little as possible. The man's laugh almost startled him but it was there, quiet and deep in his throat, and when he reached for his second leg the corporal lifted it for him, giving him a little assistance for his task. 

“Sorry... I dun'us'lly drink'so mush...”, he slurred and Levi huffed, taking the socks with his fingertips to place them underneath the chair where he put the man's neatly folded shirt once he had retrieved it. 

“You should be. And you shouldn't drink so much if you can't hold your liquor”, he glowered at him and hazy blue eyes looked up at him, another laugh erupted from the man's chest. 

“I... apol'gize.”, was the man's answer and he rolled his eyes, shooting him another glare. 

“Stop apologizing, it's unnerving and really doesn't suit you.” It really didn't. Knowing the manipulative bastard he doubted that he ever really felt sorry. He just said it because he thought it was expected of him. 

Levi decided that he couldn't bring it over himself to take off the man's pants – the shy glance to the man's middle made him look away immediately because he was embarrassed by the thought of touching him there. This was good enough, the man wouldn't strangle himself in his gear in his sleep and he wouldn't crumple his jacket beyond recognition, either. Levi could very well live with him wearing pants. 

It was when he moved up the bed, draping his blankets over the man's half naked body, that it suddenly happened. The strong arms appeared out of nowhere and due to the darkness and the frustrated calmness he had lulled himself into Levi didn't expect it at all. He couldn't even yelp until he was pressed face first into the mattress, his face smothered in a fluff pillow and a heavy body weighing him down and trapping him in a way that he could barely move. His heart racing in his chest he struggled, pushing against the heavy body holding him captive and hissing ferociously at him. When strong arms wrapped around his body, trapping his own arms at his sides and immobilizing him even more he felt fear linger at the borders of his conscience, towering up and ready to wash through his body – but he refused to let fear overwhelm him, he knew too perfectly well where he was – and who had just forced him onto the mattress. And something about the way he did it, tightening his hold around him without touching him with his hands, without groping and pulling on his clothes, made him stay very clear-headed. The only thing he was currently feeling was annoyance – annoyance that turned into fury with every passing second of his capture. He hated being captured. 

Levi gathered up his strength and shoved his shoulder against his chest, making a first, harmless attempt at freeing himself. Bending his arm underneath his body awkwardly his fingertips felt his knife, and the thought of having it in reach made the fear subside, fading into his annoyance as an additional intensifier. 

“Let go.”Twisting his head around to be able to look at him he glared viciously and shoved his shoulder into his chest again when his order didn't inspire the reaction he had aimed for. “I said: Let go.”, he repeated, his tone as sharp as the crack of a whip in the otherwise silent room. However, the drunk corporal didn't seem too impressed; he produced an unwilling sound low in his throat and only tightened his hold on Levi. Which made the boy's temper flare. Glaring daggers at his face where the man had closed his eyes and his lips set into a tight line he shoved at him with more force, grinning evilly in his fury when the man cursed and snapped his eyes open to do a little glaring on his own. 

“I swear to the fucking walls, if you don't let go, fucking NOW, I'll cut off your arms.”, he hissed at Erwin, his voice very clear and as imperious as such a small body could ever sound. And it seemed to work, a wave of relief rushed through his body when the strong arms around him somewhat loosened the deadlock they held Levi in, enough for him to twist around in his arms and grab the handle of the knife in his pocket – when they tightened around him again, he was pulled closer to the heavy body and he faced another moment of fear trying to consume him, trying to make him drown in memories pushed back into the darkest corners of his mind. But he struggled to remain focused and he growled at the corporal, his eyes glistening with the rage he was feeling. “The FUCK, Erwin! What the hell has gotten into you, shithead? Let GO.” His voice sounded pressed from his struggle to remain as calm as possible, refraining from getting too vocal. He hated screaming, usually the vibrating rage in his voice was way more effective. Just not with the damned drunkard he had to deal with. The man ensured once more that Levi couldn't move his arms, the hand with the knife was trapped in the pocket of his pants, and Levi inhaled sharply when the man moved to half lie on top of him, his face pressing into the crook of Levi's neck. 

That was almost enough to make him snap. Feeling the other male so close, feeling his hard, half naked body on his own, his warm breath against his neck, his hair tickling his overly sensitive skin, breathing in his scent almost made him flare into action, into punching and kicking and slashing at the muscular body until he was free and able to run as fast as he could. Levi wasn't oblivious, he knew there were men desiring other men (or desiring anything that moved and they haughtily thought could be claimed without defense), he had been approached more than once. And more than once the attempting person had left with deep slashes or broken bones. Or the attempting person hadn't left at all, due to a slit throat. Rape was something that wasn't going to happen to him, he had sworn that over the first person he had killed because he had been molesting Levi. And it certainly wasn't going to happen here, not now. Part of him knew that it wasn't Erwin's intention, there was no hard flesh pressing against Levi's thigh, he still didn't reach for his clothes, he didn't touch him with greedy, possessive hands, he didn't kiss or bite his skin – and not knowing what this was all about made Levi even more furious, made him struggle against the hold the corporal was having on him. 

“You have exactly three seconds to let go or I'll break your fucking arms.”, he pressed through gritted teeth, kicking the other male's thigh without refrain for emphasis. The grunt the corporal exhaled felt good, knowing he could cause this giant bastard pain was relieving. He wasn't kidding, this was his very last threat. There wouldn't be hesitation, Levi was used to killing in order to defend himself, this wouldn't be the first - 

“Sstop ssruggli'n an' calm 'own.”, the corporal slurred, his breath hitting Levi's skin again and making him shiver against his will. Annoyance was flaring up again, drowning the feeling of burgeoning fear completely – this wasn't about his body. If it was the corporal would take it, he had a chance at giving it a go. But he didn't. He didn't even move. He didn't do anything to make Levi feel used, humiliated – he merely held him. WHY he was doing it Levi didn't know, he just knew that he wanted to scream in frustration – but his need to hurt this man badly enough for him to flee subsided slowly, leaving him trembling with his fury and glaring at the blond tuft he could see from the corners of his eyes. 

“What the actual fuck. What is WRONG with you, bastard? I don't want to calm down, I want you to let go of me. MOVE you damned giant.”, he spat at him, emphasizing his works with a few shrugs of his shoulders in order to get his arms free, but the man didn't budge one bit. A growl building low in Levi's throat he aimed for the man's thigh again, prepared to kick him harder this time, when the corporal spoke again. 

“'tis nice... your warm...jus'sleep.” 

He could only stare at him, unable to believe what he was hearing. Erwin had his eyes closed and his mumbling sounded like he was close to falling asleep. But... he couldn't. He couldn't just fall asleep on top of Levi, he wanted to be out of his bed as quickly as possible - even if the man wasn't about to molest him he was highly uncomfortable, crushed beneath the heavy body and held in his death grip where he couldn't properly move a muscle. There was no way he could sleep like this. 

“You've got to be kidding me.”, he snapped and struggled again, but slowly losing the edge his movement had just a couple of minutes ago. Because it was uncalled for, he had to begrudgingly admit it. The more he struggled the tighter the corporal's arms wrapped around him and while it was a pretentious thing to do, thinking that he could just hold him here if he clung to him long enough, he wasn't doing Levi any harm. Other than crushing his bones a little, perhaps. The corporal... wanted to hold him. Wanted him to sleep in his bed, and not for sexual or romantic reasons. He just seemed to desire a companion. Somebody who he could hold, who was warm and enduring his being clingy. Levi just rolled his eyes. He didn't want to endure his being clingy and he didn't want to be in his bed. 

The man's body was also very warm, he registered. And despite being so helplessly drunk he didn't smell, not even now when his whole being was practically pressed against Levi. It wasn't disgust that made him want to crawl out of this bed and climb back on top of the wardrobe again. What it actually was... it was probably just the close presence of another human being, one that he trusted to not hurt him but not enough to be this close to. He couldn't sleep here, not with a male's nose pressed against his neck, feeling warm air caress his skin every time Erwin took a breath.   
The bed was also really comfortable – Levi felt that his muscles welcomed the softness (even though it was still a hard mattress at a spare Military quarter it was still 100 times softer and more comfortable than the top of any wardrobe), especially his tired legs and sore shoulders and back. 

Levi groaned, not believing his own thoughts and feelings. He was... actually experiencing comfort here. The fact that he was being crushed by a heavy body and strong arms remained but otherwise... did his body welcome the change of location. 

He shook his head exasperatedly, and wanted to raise a hand to comb a few dark strands that were messily hanging into his face back where they belonged – but he still found that he couldn't. Snarling he roughly pushed against Erwin's body, earning another disapproving sound from the man's throat, before addressing the man in a slightly agitated voice. 

“Damn it, bastard, would you move your fucking vice like arms?” The man made another non-committal sound and Levi hissed in frustration, growing so very tired of the whole situation. Fucking Erwin and his fucking wine, they were both supposed to go to hell. “MOVE YOUR ARMS. I won't go anywhere but I can't sleep like this. Let GO.” 

There was silence in the room for a few seconds, just as if neither Erwin nor Levi himself could actually believe what he had just said. And Levi really couldn't, cursing silently when he realized that he had practically just agreed to sleeping in the man's bed. What the actual fuck? Was this fucking corporal going to manipulate him into ANYTHING he wanted him to do? Levi glared at him, daggers, but when the corporal really loosened his hold around him he shifted into a way more comfortable position. He contemplated scrambling out of the bed, knowing he was most certainly way faster and more subtle than the corporal, not to mention more lucid – but he didn't. Instead he rolled onto his side, facing the drunkenly intrusive man, and when the arms returned to find their places around his body he took a few deep breaths and let it happen. He was given way more space than he had had before – and while he would have been happier with the man not touching him at all he realized that he cared less about his hands with every passing minute. Because his hands weren't doing anything. They were a warm presence at his back, not searching, not feeling, not moving at all. Levi watched the man's face, not sure if he was already asleep or still lingering along the borders of consciousness. He had closed his eyes a while ago, refusing to open them during their whole exchange. Probably because he simply was shit faced drunk – Levi was sure that Erwin would never have made him sleep in his bed if he'd been sober. And Levi would give him hell for it the next morning, he was going to regret making him do this – but for now he settled in, not quite close to Erwin but not far away, either. It seemed to be enough contact for the man to be content with and it was enough space for Levi so he could land a few good blows if he still needed to eventually. He didn't think so – Erwin had never once made a move on him when being sober and had failed to do so now that he was probably as drunk as he could ever get without passing out. Instead of shattering something in Levi, hurting the tentative trust that he was carefully growing, he felt assured once more that this man wouldn't cause him harm. If the worst thing the corporal wanted in his drunken mind was cling to Levi's body... he really didn't have to be afraid of him. If nothing, he had now discovered something he could make fun of – and he would certainly never let Erwin forget this experience. If this was embarrassing for one of them it sure as hell wasn't Levi. 

His body actually relaxed in the warmth that they created underneath the covers and when lying on his side became uncomfortable he turned back onto his back carefully, fully aware of the fact that the corporal's grip still tightened around him though he was probably fast asleep. Levi rolled his eyes but didn't say anything – he was trying his best to fall asleep, too. 

But sleep just wouldn't come to him – he had already expected that he wouldn't even get so much as five minutes of recreative sleep that night. But, in contradiction to what he had assumed, Erwin sleeping next to him wasn't the problem. His back facing the door was the problem, he figured out after some time. It became apparent when the noises Erwin made, a breath that was inhaled suddenly or him moving at his side didn't startle Levi – but his eyes snapped open every few minutes because he was sure that he had heard a tiny little noise in the adjacent office, or the creaking of the door, and each time he froze in apprehension, thinking that their pursuer had found them at last and was coming to finish his job. Of course there was nothing, but his imagination didn't let him rest. It would have been easiest to just turn around; but he knew he would probably feel equally paranoid when turning his back to Erwin. He couldn't explain why, but baring his back to the man made him feel uncomfortable – which only left him with one possibility.

Carefully sitting up he groaned when the man's arm tightened around him immediately, making him wonder of the man was really asleep or just pretended to be. The quiet, murmured 'Dun' leave.” suggested as much but he didn't stir, he just held onto Levi tightly. Glaring down at him he pushed against a muscular shoulder, he was so tired of this. The next time the corporal decided to get smashed Levi would leave him rot in his stinking clothes, he wouldn't set a foot within his arms reach.

“Let go, twat, I wanna get comfortable. I told you I'm not going anywhere.”, he muttered at him, too tired to put any viciousness into his voice. He wondered what time it was. And then he wondered how much of this the corporal would remember in the morning. He certainly hoped he'd remember every single little detail. He really wanted to mock him, he deserved it – and the bruises that Levi had inflicted on him, he deserved them, too. 

The strong arms slowly budged and Levi took a deep breath before quickly climbing over Erwin's body to slide underneath the blankets on the other side of him, now facing the door – and Erwin's back. He was totally fine with that, due to the man's largeness he would be obscured from their line of vision when somebody entered the door – and Erwin turning his back to him was great, too, it gave him some sense of power. He COULD still just stab him in the back, couldn't he? 

Erwin did turn around, of course, but it didn't bother Levi as much. The hands returned, too, and the warm body shifted closer to him once more. Nothing new, he could try to work with that, having slowly eliminated all the things he could to make falling asleep even probable. So he tried closing his eyes, relaxing in the slowly building heat between them and ending up even huddling closer to the other body. Which was making him shake his head at himself, but he knew where it was coming from. He had done that, when he had been younger, with Johann – with the slight difference that he had been 8, not 15?/16?/17? and Johann had been his substitute father, not the corporal of a Military branch that ended up being eaten by titans for the most part. 

But, considering all that had happened during these past few days, considering the crazy day he was currently trying to end by falling asleep, he didn't question anything anymore. He did what he thought was best for him – as he had always done. And if it was being in bed with Erwin Smith, sleeping at his side with big hands warming the small of his back while sharing the warmth of a few Military blankets, then it was alright. For the moment he could rest – everything else could still be faced the next morning.

~*~


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, FINALLY! * 3 *  
> I hope you like this chapter, there's a lot things happening. XD  
> I'm so so so grateful for your continuing support...! I hope you'll like this chapter. <3  
> I hope nobody will be able to tell where I was stuck for months... |D I'd hate it if there was some kind of cut in the middle of the chapter. Between the first 15 and the last 9 pages lie months. Probably 8 months or something...  
> I hope you'll enjoy this anway!

~*~

When he awoke the next morning he could hardly fathom why – and waking up was a dreadfully sluggish process. Impressions and emotions came to him one by one and he wasn't able to tell whether they were related or not. He was fatigued. Like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Then his head was throbbing. Erwin groaned and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, he really didn't want to open them and even less to have to expose them to sunlight anytime soon. He felt like that would make his head explode. And, which was by far the most pleasant thing: there was a warm body pressed up against him. There was somebody in his arms, he wasn't alone in his bed.

Deciding that it couldn't hurt to stay in bed just a few minutes longer he tightened his hold on the warm body, burying his nose in the inviting neck and hair that smelled of peppermint and apples - 

“If you don't let go right now I swear I'll slit your throat,” a low voice growled at him and the threat was accompanied by a sharp pain in his shoulder. Erwin cursed and opened his eyes, lifting his head a little to see what was going on – and it took a few seconds for the realization to sink in that there was Levi, in his bed, in his arms, his fist still raised to deliver another blow if it was necessary. And when that realization had sunk in he inhaled sharply, snatched his arms back and scooted backwards as far as he could without crashing to the floor. Staring at him his mind was racing, trying to understand the situation – and how he had ended up in it. 

“That took you a while,” Levi grumbled and glared at him before he sat up, stretching his limbs out of the position Erwin had forcefully kept him in. He winced softly, narrowing his eyes when his hands came up to rub his shoulders. 

“What... how...?”, he said, not really addressing anybody but himself. What had he done last night? And why was Levi here, in his bed? Looking down his body he realized that he was wearing pants, and Levi was apparently fully dressed, too, which relieved him a little. But that still didn't explain anything so he tried recalling the previous night's events. 

The dark-haired boy glowered at him from narrowed eyes, combing his slim fingers through his thick hair. His lower half was still covered by the blankets they had been sharing and Erwin shivered slightly from their absence, only half clothed as he was. 

“What... happened?”, he asked, watching the boy closely. He seemed, above everything, to be annoyed. There was no fear in his features, just tiredness and plain annoyance.

The function... Nile and the balcony, then drinking with former comrades. The people rushing in to protest, Ashner having them thrown out. His retreat – Nile. Walking back to their quarters – and there it ended. He did have a few hazy images of Military policemen chasing civilians, shots being fired – but that might just have been a dream, influenced by the Military police's rough way to handle things. He had no idea how he had gotten home – and even less what had happened after that. 

Levi narrowed his eyes even more and then shook his head, pushing the blankets off his legs. 

“You really don't fucking remember.”

Erwin shook his head, trying to wreck his brain but it wouldn't come up with anything. He had a black out, he remembered absolutely nothing after he had left Nile standing there. Raising a hand he rubbed his face, silently cursing Zackley for making him go to this function – and Nile for exposing him to wine. The man knew perfectly well that Erwin couldn't handle it. Which had, Erwin groaned inwardly, probably been the reason for Nile making him drink. Because he very well knew the mood Erwin fell into when being drunk. And that was why he was worried, he knew how he craved contact and touch then – and that was making the fact that he had woken up with Levi in his arms even more alarming. He hadn't done anything to him, right? He couldn't have, that would be a disaster.

“I... remember the function... and then...”, he drew a blank after that, nothing of his confusion and worry showing in his voice. 

Levi snorted and then leaned forward to get on his hands and knees, starting to leave the bed. He did so putting as much distance between them as possible and Erwin bit the inside of his cheek. He kept out of Erwin's arms reach, that was very obvious. 

“You really shouldn't drink if you can't hold your liquor.”, the boy said, the sneer more audible in his voice than it was visible on his face. He stretched again, tilting his head left and right and Erwin heard the cracking of the bones in his neck.  
He... didn't look upset. He didn't seem like he had been put through something atrocious – but Erwin still didn't know what had happened and he needed to make sure that he hadn't done anything that he would regret. 

“I don't, usually... but it's hard to avoid it at such an occasion.”, he replied calmly, watching Levi walk over to the wardrobe to get his clothes. Apparently the boy had been downstairs to retrieve their laundry at some point - Levi had also folded the clothes neatly.  
When the dark haired boy proceeded towards the bathroom door Erwin spoke up, not knowing what had happened was unbearable and Levi apparently wasn't going to tell him anything without being prompted. 

“Did I... do something to you...? You ended up in my bed.”, he spoke quietly, hoping Levi knew what he was alluding to. 

He paused right in front of the bathroom door and looked at Erwin over his shoulder, giving him a stare from slightly narrowed eyes. “You grabbed me and crushed me with your body and forced me to spend the night in your bed because you wanted somebody warm with you.” 

Erwin wanted to bury his face in his hands – but instead he just swallowed and addressed Levi again, because his question wasn't entirely answered.

“I didn't touch you... did I?”, he said, hating that his voice sounded a little hoarse but he couldn't help it, the question was a delicate one. He prayed, to whatever was out there, that Levi's answer would be no. 

The dark haired boy looked at him, his hand still on the door handle, and his features softened just a little bit when he shook his head. “Apart from clinging to me, which was pretty damn annoying – you didn't.” And that was all he said before entering the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

Erwin closed his eyes and fell back to the mattress, taking a deep breath while he felt relief wash through his body and ease his headache a little. He most certainly wasn't ever going to drink again, this might have cost him another few precious years of his life – and he darkly reflected that since knowing Levi he was thinking that rather frequently. 

Shivering slightly he pulled the blankets back up and decided to stay in bed for another little while, until Levi would clear the bathroom. Frowning slightly at a stab of pain when he moved his shoulder he looked down and found a dark bruise there – and there were another few, strewn across his torso. He guessed that Levi had inflicted them – he had woken him up with a vicious hit to his shoulder, he had probably delivered more painful blows the night before in attempt to fight Erwin off. He resisted the urge to pull the blankets over his head. 

He laid back down and closed his eyes, trying to reconstruct the previous evening. Having not to worry about what things he could have possibly done to Levi anymore he felt calm enough to let his memory come back to him at its own pace, if at all. He doubted that anything interesting had happened during his stumbling back to the garrison, and he knew roughly what had happened here – that was enough. Even though he needed to find out if he had already been in these rooms when he had stripped off most of his clothes – instead of, and that thought was a dreadful one, starting to strip in the middle of the street. He didn't put anything past himself when he was drunk, he could be completely out of control. 

He groaned and turned onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. Which did smell of peppermint and apples and he groaned again. This last one was one of the days, and Erwin had these really rarely, that could just be erased. Pretending that it had never happened seemed like a great idea. At least nobody of his own people, apart from Levi of course, had witnessed too much of his capers, not even his commander. 

He briefly thought about the whole Nile-encounter but refused to go into that too deeply. While he really didn't want to cause the man pain Nile just had to accept that Erwin wouldn't come back to him. While Erwin just wasn't the kind of man that formed romantic relationships his profession didn't allow him too much room for such things either. 

But Nile wasn't all that came to his mind when he laid there, letting his thoughts run wild. The protesting people busied his mind to quite an extent because he could still feel the anger boil in him when he thought of the Military Police officer trying to hit that little girl. The way the Military Police was handling this was disastrous, and Erwin could only see the situation get worse from there. If the government didn't change some things, and soon, there would be riots, and things would get really bloody. Titans wouldn't be their only problem, they would have to face dangers from within, as well. And they really didn't need that – the situation was tense and complicated enough as it was. 

He thought of his sister briefly and then his thoughts shifted to something else that he couldn't really recall and he might have dosed off for a little while because he jerked awake when he heard a door being opened and closed. He opened his eyes and while the rest of his face was still buried in the pillow he watched Levi walk over to the wardrobe, clad in the military trousers, the white shirt Erwin had given him two days prior, and a dark blue scarf. 

The boy threw him a brief glance. “Is the hang-over killing you?” 

Erwin frowned a little, unable to place the boy's tone. It wasn't concern that was vibrating in his quiet voice, that was for sure. “I've suffered worse.” 

Levi looked at him gloomily and then turned towards the wardrobe. 

“Damn it.”

Erwin shot him a dark look and snorted into the pillow, thinking that he probably deserved the boy's spite.  
Taking advantage of the moment he addressed Levi again, refusing to react verbally to the boy's meanness. 

“Is my jacket in there? And the harness and all? I can't remember if I took it off here or elsewhere and having taken it off elsewhere would be highly inconvenient.” And he didn't have any clue as to how to explain missing uniform parts to his fellow soldiers. He might have several shirts and also a spare jacket but he only had one harness. 

Levi paused and then turned around, rolling his eyes at Erwin with his folded clothes still in his hands.

“Yes, they are fucking in there. I hung them up because you would have fallen on your stupid face trying to do that. You were too drunk to even take them off, I did that.”, Levi huffed at him, his dark blue eyes narrowing. 

Really not having expected that, Erwin stared at the dark haired boy. While the thought of him being too drunk to undress himself was embarrassing, knowing that Levi had been considerate enough to help him was astounding him. He felt that, after all he had heard about the previous night, he owed Levi. 

“I'm sorry, Levi, for putting you through this. And thank you, I'll make that up to you somehow.”

The boy glared at him and then jerked his head in the wardrobe's direction. 

“You better. There are no bags we can use to transport the clothes in.”

Erwin stared, with his throbbing head and still befuddled mind unable to follow the rapid change of topic right away. Levi's thin brows furrowed together and he tapped his foot impatiently when Erwin finally understood what the boy was talking about. 

“Ah, we have saddlebags to stuff the clothes into. They're in the stables and we can bring them up later.”

For some reason Levi crinkled his nose at him and then spun around to put his neatly folded clothes back into the wardrobe, mumbling something like 'fuck stuffing clothes' and some other things that Erwin couldn't quite catch. He shut the wardrobe, slid into his boots and then walked out of the room without another word, leaving Erwin to himself. 

He took a deep breath and then successfully persuaded himself to get out of bed, too. The motion caused his head to protest with a sharp wave of pain and he groaned, staggering over to Levi's bedstand to grab the bottle of painkillers. Shaking out two directly he gushed them down with some water, realizing how thirsty he was. Another side-effect of the drinking, and he could have gone without that one, too, when he had to sit on a horse's back for most of the day and there wouldn't be too many possibilities for him to relief himself of the amounts of water he'd be consuming. 

Sighing quietly to himself he went over to the wardrobe to get a clean change of clothes and then stepped into the bathroom to make himself look presentable. Which was very much needed, a quick glance into the mirror had him turning away from the sight with a disapproving sound. He looked terrible, besides his hair being disheveled and the stubble on his chin he had dark circles underneath his eyes and they were a little bloodshot, too. He hoped that washing off, a shave and a few cups of strong coffee would restore him back to being halfway decent. 

The hot water did make him feel a little better, he didn't feel as crappy after having washed last night's remainders off his body and out of his hair, and brushing his teeth, shaving and combing his hair back into its usually neat state helped, too. He got dressed and then went back into the bedroom to pull on his leather belts, the boots and his jacket before entering the office. 

With his legs crossed and the practicing book situated in his lap, Levi sat on the broad window sill and wrote letters onto the parchment, the bottle of ink next to him. He looked up when Erwin entered and his eyes narrowed a little when Erwin smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Ready for breakfast?” Judging from the light outside it was still rather early and it occurred to him that none of them could have slept long. Levi had probably fallen asleep after Erwin and he had been awake earlier. The dark circles below his eyes were shadowing his face and he also looked tired – musing darkly that they would probably pass out the moment they had the chance to that night, after having ridden for quite some time, Erwin watched Levi carefully cork the ink and blow onto his parchment for it to dry. Uncurling his body Levi slid from the window sill and carried the book, the quill and the ink back to Erwin's desk before facing him, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“You don't look like a wood gnome anymore.” 

Erwin sighed and wondered if Levi would ever let him hear the end of this – but probably not. While the whole matter was indeed a little upsetting Erwin realized that it somehow had not alienated Levi from him – no, it was quite the opposite. Even though Levi was annoyed by the whole thing and shamelessly mocking him he was still here, Erwin hadn't driven him away with his drunkenly inappropriate behaviour. 

“I did my best,” he said, gesturing towards the door. “Let's go.”

They went downstairs to get their breakfast, Erwin sticking to bread and coffee because he wasn't sure if his stomach would handle anything else. He had the chatty women give Levi primarily bread and eggs, tea and milk, trusting Levi's stomach to be able to handle that by now. With their main quarters being situated far away from the capital Erwin doubted that he could provide Levi with the wide range of food that he had been able to get here so the boy needed to get used to the more usual nourishment soldiers obtained. Even though the women didn't let them go without a freshly baked pastry each, and they also had to promise to come back before leaving because the women would give them something to take with them on their journey. They were sad to see them go, Erwin could tell. 

They sat down at their table, being the only ones in the room. Judging from the lack of plates that the women had to clean Erwin would say that most of the soldiers weren't up yet – he briefly wondered why they were up so early but he seriously hadn't questioned the time this morning when he had woken up to the shocking fact of Levi being in his bed. 

The boy was silent and dug in, just like he always did, and drank his milk obediently, too. Erwin got a little lost in his thoughts while he was sipping his coffee, he had given up eating bread after half a slice. His stomach didn't like solid things, it was churning viciously and he felt it was safer to just not agitate it even more.  
His thoughts traveled back to the dream he had had, about Military Police soldiers chasing and shooting at the protesting people. Apparently the whole incident had left a rather strong imprint if his subconscious had needed to process it during his sleep. The way these people had been treated had been inhumane – he especially remembered the little girl who had been hit by a Military Police soldier. She had looked so small and fragile in her torn, yellow scarf, and she had been crying. The Military Police would rile people up even more by handling things in such ways – restoring peace, and that was part of their job, too, was done differently.

He briefly wondered how Nile put up with that – the man didn't think of their people as 'dirty waster of space and food' like his commander did but he was still working for his force. He really hoped Nile wouldn't lose his obstinacy and some day would have enough power to change some things within the Military Police. And the Black Rose could as well - 

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when the conversation he had had with Nile suddenly popped up in his head. Staring at the boy he replayed the conversation in his head, recollecting the information Nile had given him. And he came to the conclusion that he had two options: To pretend that he didn't know a thing and just wait to see what would happen, or to confront Levi right away. And as he wasn't a man who could just let things go their merry way he decided to address the topic right away. He still neither judged nor condemned Levi, he just plain wanted to know what was going on. 

“What's your deal with the Black Rose, Levi?”, he asked, watching the dark haired boy intently. Bringing up the topic so suddenly gave him the advantage of surprise, Levi had most certainly not expected the question and his reaction would most likely be a very genuine one. 

The boy's reaction was to lift his head, stare at him and frown. He was silent for a few seconds, as if he expected Erwin to elaborate, and when Erwin didn't his frown deepened. “The what?”

Erwin looked at him, trying to read him – and realized there wasn't too much to be interpreted because the reaction was a very open one. He displayed confusion and maybe a hint of annoyance on his features, if he was flustered or alarmed because he had been caught he didn't show any hint of it. 

“The Black Rose. The merchant's guild.”, Erwin clarified even though it was probably unnecessary. 

Levi stared at him and his frown deepened, he took another sip of his tea. “Never heard of that.” 

It was Erwin's turn to frown. “Levi, they're the people supplying this district with food and other resources. Most of the available goods were purchased from the Black Rose.” 

Levi leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes, bringing one knee up to his chest. “Yesterday was practically the first time that I had money in my hands, not counting the few coins that I found on the streets. Do you really think I'd know anything about where the bloody goods that I never bought came from? I fucking don't. And I never cared.” He huffed and stared at Erwin, never looking away. “So what kind of stupid question is that? My deal with the Black Rose? There's no damn deal. What the hell makes you think that?” 

Erwin watched him, paying close attention to every gesture and every word. Levi's words sounded plausible, he had to admit – and he didn't pick up any nervousness at all. As far as Erwin could tell Levi was blatantly honest, as he always was. 

Briefly looking around the room he lowered his voice a little, even though they were alone he wanted to hear if footsteps approached because they were discussing things that weren't destined to reach anybody else's ears. 

“Somebody talked to me about you yesterday night,” When Levi frowned at him he elaborated. “he brought it up and of course I didn't mention you. I just realized during the conversation that he must be talking about you.”

Levi's brows furrowed and he stilled on his chair, sitting perfectly straight. “And how did you realize that?”, he asked, his voice as hushed as Erwin's had become. 

“He said the criminal they were searching for killed four people at once a couple of nights ago. It wasn't that hard to figure out.” Levi's lips were pressed into a thin line and his brows still furrowed while he silently waited for Erwin to reach his conclusion. “He also said that the criminal had killed more people before that, they realized it was the same person because of the weapon he used.” Levi's lips tightened even more at that. “And the last seven victims were members of the Black Rose, that's why they got the impression that the criminal had a problem with them.”

“Which is bullshit.”, the boy said, his voice calm. Dark blue eyes were looking at him, unwavering. “I killed people when they wanted to kill me first. I defend myself, you saw it.” He paused, seemed to think for a couple of seconds, and then continued. “I honestly don't know what this is about and don't know anything about the Black Rose.” 

Erwin just listened to him, his own gaze bare of all emotions. He didn't really know what to make of it, but he was inclined to believe Levi. As far as he knew Levi had been nothing but honest with him so far. 

“So you didn't go after them, they attacked you? And you also didn't know the people you killed were connected?”

Levi shook his head, taking another sip of his tea. “No.”, he said, frustration mixing into his voice. “I defend myself, I'm not some blood thirsty lunatic.” 

Erwin looked at him for another little while, their eyes locked. Levi didn't blink even once.  
And Erwin made a decision right there and then, because he trusted his instincts – they yet had to fail him, after all. 

“Okay.”, he simply said and took a sip of his coffee, grimacing slightly because the beverage had turned lukewarm. 

Levi stared at him, arching a brow at him. “Okay?” 

Pouring some more black coffee from the pot into his mug he nodded, taking another sip and finding the temperature more acceptable. “Yes, okay.” 

The dark haired boy stared some more, his head slowly tilting to the right. “Just... okay?”

Erwin smiled. “Yes, just okay.” 

Levi snorted, shaking his head at him. “You are the weirdest soldier of them all.”, he said, frowning. 

While he probably couldn't argue with that he still tilted his head to the side, looking questioningly at his companion. “And why is that?” 

Levi shot him a piercing look. “Because you believe me. Just like that.” 

Erwin raised his eyebrows and took a sip of his coffee. “Do I have a reason not to?” 

Levi stared at him and snorted again, leaning his elbow on his knee. “Probably like a million reasons. A fellow soldier makes you think that I could have ulterior motives or whatever it is you're thinking. Why on earth would you choose to believe ME?” 

Erwin smiled and set his mug down on the table, keeping his hands curled around it to warm his hands. “You're a fellow soldier, too. And you're still here, you didn't take off the moment I confronted you. You're still here, willing to join my force. I just have no reason for not believing you. If you say you don't have a problem with the Black Rose, then you don't.” 

Levi blinked and his face contorted into a grimace, he snorted again. 

„You're just plain weird. You'll end up getting stabbed in your sleep because you're so trusting.“ 

Erwin laughed, feeling relieved that this conversation had processed well. “Let's hope a titan gets me first, shall we?”, he mused, growing serious quickly after. Another thought crossed his mind and he was curious to bounce it off Levi to see what the boy thought of it. “I was thinking...” He ignored Levi's quiet “Oh no.”and continued. “As it's very improbable that this all is a coincidence I think we have to consider them having a problem with you.” 

Levi frowned at that and Erwin understood the gesture, he was in the dark about the Black Rose's motives as well as Levi. “And I wouldn't rule out the contingency of yesterday's pursuer being part of the Black Rose, either.” That had Levi stunned for a moment, but considering all facts Erwin thought his conclusion reasonably probable. If they really were after Levi for some reason Erwin found it safe to assume that yesterday's attack had been executed by them as well. 

“But why? I never had anything to do with them, I didn't even know they fucking existed.”, Levi muttered, rubbing on a little stain on his mug. Erwin just shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee. 

“I honestly don't know, Levi, but I'd say the problem will eradicate itself this afternoon.” With them leaving the Black Rose's sales area, and as he was sure that they wouldn't expect Levi to leave with the scouting legion the boy would be off the radar. 

The dark haired boy nodded to that and lowered his gaze at the table, apparently getting lost in his own thoughts, when Erwin gestured at his half filled mug. 

“Drink your tea, it'll get cold.” If it wasn't already, but Levi picked up his mug and drank obediently – he probably didn't care about his beverage's temperature at all, content as he was with everything he got. He was holding the cup in that peculiar way again, Erwin noticed, admiring Levi for the skill of not pouring tea all over his fingers as he drank. 

They sipped their beverages in silence for a couple of minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts, when Levi spoke up again, his voice and features back to their normal neutrality. 

“I need to pick up the clothes at the seamstress's.” He looked at Erwin and they both knew why he brought it up. Erwin returned his look, quietly considering their options, and verbally announced his decision to Levi. 

“I'll go with you.”, he said, A thin eyebrow was arched at him in question and he smiled, finishing his second cup of coffee. 

“They lost you yesterday and I doubt they'll search for you in the busy streets, it's not where they'd expect you. That's not why I want to accompany you. But I do owe Vera an apology, I think. She'd take it amiss if I didn't stop by personally.”

Levi's lips curled into a sardonic smile and after discussing a serious topic Erwin was almost glad to see it. “I think she already does, 'insolent brat'.”

He snorted and served himself to another half of a cup of coffee. “Even more important for me to stop by.” Even though he didn't think that Vera was seriously angry at him he wouldn't risk it – he'd rather not incense the energetic woman.

They finished in silence and returned their used dishes to the kitchen before heading for the main gates. Soldiers slowly trickled down into the common room and Erwin greeted them while Levi was silent at his side, his face impassive. 

It was still rather early in the morning so Erwin didn't expect the streets to be crowded – but his expectations proved wrong when they stepped out into the streets. Little stands everywhere and people busily walking between them, looking at goods and handing money to the sellers, could only mean one thing: It was market day. Erwin groaned, instantly wishing that he had sent Levi to get his clothes on his own. While the throbbing of his head had subsided during breakfast it was back now, provoked by the noise level around him. But he resigned himself over to his fate and started walking, knowing they didn't have to walk very far. 

“Let's get this over with.”, he said, looking over at Levi – who seemed to be as uninspired about the mass of people as Erwin was. His face was set into a tight scowl and he was tense, his gaze constantly darting around to be able to keep track of everything that happened around them; Erwin also noticed that Levi kept close to him and avoided coming near other people. He disliked crowds, Erwin had already noticed the previous day after the choir's practice when the boy had lead him into the network of narrow streets instead of using the crowded main street. And considering his encounter with the unknown pursuer it was understandable that Levi was on guard. 

They had made it through the worst crowd when Erwin stopped at a little stand and bought a bouquet of fresh flowers, thanking the girl selling them when she handed the white flowers to him. Next to him Levi arched an eyebrow at him and eyed the flowers sceptically. “You really think a bunch of flowers'll help?” 

Erwin smiled at the boy and sniffed the flowers while they walked on. “I yet have to meet the woman that can't be appeased with flowers.” 

They reached Vera's shop a few minutes later and entered, the bells chiming. Hearing the owner calling “Good morning to you, I'll be right with you!” from the back of the shop he couldn't help but think that it was all comfortably familiar. When not serving customers in the front Vera was mostly in the back on her sewing machines, producing the clothes her clients ordered. 

Expecting the red haired woman to appear in the doorway to her little chamber Erwin turned into its direction and only a few seconds later Vera did enter the shop, just needing a second to recognize her customers. Her face broke into a smile and she greeted Levi cheerfully and told him that it was good to see him - and then her hands went to her hips immediately and her eyes narrowed when her gaze shifted to Erwin. 

“Nooo Erwin, don't you even think for one second that some flowers are enough to be forgiven.”, she said, walking brusquely towards them. He heard Levi snicker softly next to him and he almost took a step back in the face of Vera's intensity – but then the woman stopped in front of him and scooped the flowers out of his arms to sniff them, and she closed her eyes. “But they are beautiful, damn you for knowing that chrysanthemums are my favorite.” 

It was his time to throw Levi a triumphant look, which was answered by one of Levi's extremely bored expressions, and then he placed his palms on Vera's forearms to kiss her cheek. “Just as beautiful as you, Vera.” The phrase, and he had to admit that it was indeed a rather lame one but he felt inapt to come up with something more creative, earned him stares from both Vera and Levi, but while the boy's was borderline disgusted Vera's was a surprised one. She tittered and then swatted at Erwin's hand, taking a step back with a playfully reproving smile. “Erwin, you stop that right away.” She turned around and went back to her little chamber, probably searching for a vase, her voice sounding a little muffled. “Even though old women like me love hearing such things from charming young men like you you can't just make my wrath melt away.” 

Erwin laughed at that and watched Vera when she came back to the front, she had found a bright yellow vase that she put the white flowers into. Setting the vase on a little side table she arranged the flowers until she was happy with the way they looked and when she turned back to Erwin and Levi she was smiling. 

“You're not even that much older, Vera.” Erwin said and chuckled when the redhead gave him an indignant huff. “I'm old enough to be your mother, Erwin.”

He waved her off and chuckled.“Believe me, you wouldn't want that. I'm a dreadful son.” 

Vera paused. The sudden shift of atmosphere was almost tangible in the air when her smile dimmed down to a careful frown; and it took him a second to understand. Certainly he should have expected it - but in his still slightly dishevelled state of mind he hadn't really thought that far. Which was probably terrible and he felt guilty immediately but he refused to let the feeling affect him. He was about to wave the whole thing off with a smile when the redhaired woman raised her hand and smacked him on the back of his head with a reproachful stare. She also opened her mouth to say something and he was very sure she would have if a strangled but definitely pained sound hadn't cut her off. A wave of pain shot through his head, making him groan again and he raised a hand to rub his forhead, which didn't have any effect at all but it was the most natural reflex to touch the hurting part of the body. 

Vera stared at him, then she grabbed his chin and made him look at her, turning his head to the left and to the right, and let him go with a frown. 

“You drank. Didn't you?” She turned to Levi, who was watching the whole scene with a carefully guarded expression, and pointed at Erwin. “He did, didn't he?” 

The dark-haired boy threw a glance at Erwin, who was doing his best to signal the boy to keep his mouth shut, and then turned his attention back to Vera. “He did. He was shit faced drunk.” 

Erwin groaned and Vera stared at Levi, throwing a dark glance at Erwin and then looked back over at the boy, concern suddenly mixing into her expresion. “He didn't do anything to you, right?” She turned back to Erwin. “You didn't, did you?”And back to Levi. “I know how he gets when he's drunk, if you don't want to end up in his bed you better stay far away from him.” 

Erwin stared at her, and Levi stared at them both, alternating between staring darkly at Erwin and way less darkly at Vera. Erwin wanted to smack him when a little, barely perceivable, but definitely dark smile contorted his lips. “I did end up in his bed.” 

He knew that Vera would have hit him on the back of his head again if he hadn't taken a step back just in case, and he was very sure that the smile on the little bastard's face only grew a little wider. 

“Erwin Smith! You have no shame! It's bad enough you do that to women twice your age, but this is..." She trailed off, apparently realising what she had just said, and her naturally pale cheeks flushed a little. Levi had obviously understood what she had just said, too, the look he was switching back and forth between them told Erwin as much.

Vera turned towards Levi abruptly, huffing. "You need to be careful with this one, very careful." And she really reached out and yanked his ear. 

Levi threw him a look like Erwin was something disgusting and at the same time very pathetic before shifting his stormy eyes back to Vera. "I know. Can I get the clothes?" He obviously wanted to get out of this shop as soon as possible. 

Vera nodded and then went to fetch the clothes she had made for Levi, and Levi ignored every of Erwin's attempts to get the boy's attention by intently inspecting his fingernails. Which where impeccably clean, Erwin could tell. 

She wasn't gone for long and when she reappeared from her little chamber she was carrying a stack of neatly folded clothes in her hands. Which she handed over to Levi, pointing at a little fitting room. “Feel free to try everything on, Levi. I hope they fit you just as well as the first ones you got.”

The dark haired boy took the clothes from her and shook his head. “It'll be fine.” 

Vera smiled and cocked her head a little to the side. “I'll have you know that I made them a little bigger. Yound boys tend to grow into all directions during their military training so I thought they might last you longer.” 

Oh he probably would grow. He'd certainly grow some muscles, maybe even gain another inch in height. 

Levi nodded and frowned at her. “Do you have something I can put this in?” 

She nodded and went off to get him something, returning with a cotton bag for Levi. The boy put his new belongings into it carefully and then slung the bag over his shoulder, obviously very ready to leave the shop. 

Erwin turned to the red haired woman and smiled at her, even though she was still eyeing him rather darkly. “Thank you very much for doing this in so little time, Vera. I knew I could count on you.” 

Vera shot him another dark look before her face lit up, she sighed theatrically. “You're welcome Erwin. Although you'll probably always be an insufferably insolent brat.”, she said, shrugging and giving him a little grin. 

“I know you like that.”, Erwin retorted, winking at her and then taking a big step back when she attempted to smack his head yet again. 

“Ohhh you get out of my shop!”, Vera cried and shooing Erwin towards the front door. Turning to Levi she smiled at him, reaching out to ruffle the boys hair, and it was kind of satisfying to see the boy's face contort into a grimace. “It was so nice seeing you again Levi. Take care! You too, Erwin.”, she added as if it was an afterthought, but she came over to him and hugged him nonetheless. Erwin hugged her back and patted her shoulder before letting go, smiling at her again. 

“We'll try.” That was all he could really say to her because he couldnt promise her any more. “Goodbye Vera.” 

Her smile faltered and she grabbed the handle of her front door as if she needed it to steady herself. Each time Erwin parted with somebody it could have been the last time – a thought that Erwin had been living with for years. It always seemed so much harder for the other person so cope with that fact, though. 

"Goodbye..."

He smiled at her encouragingly and raised a hand in farewell before he turned around and left the shop. Levi didn't need long to fall in step beside him, and he also didn't need long to start talking. 

“Being around you is bad. And I'm getting way too much information about things I've never wanted to think about.” 

Erwin smiled sheepishly and looked over at him. “I don't think I'm the culprit for the latter. But I'm sorry that you had to witness that.”

The snort Levi exhaled made his smile only grow wider. "I'm really sorry about that too, believe me. Gross." He paused in his tirade and seemed to think for a second. "And how could you possibly be a bad son? You sound like the poster boy of a son to me." 

He felt the muscles in his face freeze and the corners of his mouth dropped considerably. What a perceptive boy Levi was. 

“I'm really not.” 

“Oh yeah? Selflessly out there risking his life fighting titans to protect humanity from being eaten? That sounds pretty good to me. Dumb but good.” 

“I got my mother killed.”

The silence that followed his words was a welcomed one as he really wasn't going to go into the subject any further. All he heard from Levi was a non-committal grunt but the boy was clever enough to not comment on the matter any further. 

A thought crossing his mind he took the next turn to the right and walked down another sunfilled but less busy street. 

“Erwin, are you still drunk? The garrison is that way.”, Levi said, pointing in the direction of their destination, but Erwin shook his head when he looked back at him over his shoulder. 

“I thought we could pick up a harness for you while we're here. The supplier is close by.” He wanted to make Levi try using the 3D-maneuver gear within the next few days, just to see if his suspicion that the boy would be a natural at it was proven true, and if they didn't get him a gear now he'd probably first get it at the training camp. Of course they had spare leather straps and parts of the gear at the head quarters but he could as well get Levi his own gear while they were still in town. 

“How convenient.”, Levi muttered when he fell back in step with him and Erwin just retorted a cheerful “Isn't it?” 

They made their way down the street and Levi looked around them, inspecting their surroundings. “We're going to the Military police headquarter...?” Erwin could derive from his voice that he wasn't happy about his observation and Erwin looked over to him. “No, it's a seperate place. But it's close to the head quarter, yes.”They boy frowned a little but kept on walking and Erwin lead him into another street that crossed the one they had been walking on. He understood the boy's reservations for getting anywhere close to the Military police, especially now that they were sure about their searching for Levi. But he didn't think that this was risky, because they had no idea what they were actually looking for – Levi just didn't look like somebody who had killed probably a dozen people. 

The task of getting a harness for Levi was a rather easy one. Erwin just had to tell them his name and what they needed the harness for and he was immediately supplied with one. Of course they received some odd staring which Erwin ignored professionally – people bearing the wings of freedom on their backs mostly received odd staring. Or awed or frightened staring. He was used to being stared at. Levi was a different matter, though. The boy wasn't used to the morbid attention so he did some staring of his own, mostly annoyed staring. 

“Do I have something on my face?”, he muttered at a female military police soldier who had been eyeing them with interest, causing her to turn away and mind her own business. Erwin tried to bite back a grin, watching Levi put the harness onto his slender body. He did it in front of a mirror to make it easier for him, slowly figuring out where to put which leather strap. He had fastened the belts around his legs and thighs, put on the leather loincloth, and was just closing the clasp of the belt that circled his hip when his narrow eyes looked up at Erwin through the mirror. 

“Just how long do you need for this every morning?” 

Erwin chuckled and too a step towards him, reaching for the rest of the harness that was dangling down from his middle. “You get a lot faster at it, don't worry.” Levi arched an eyebrow at him when he held up the upper part of the harness up for him but then complied, letting Erwin help him into the netting of leather belts. “Just wait until you'll have put it on every morning for a few months.”, he told him, reaching around him to fasten the clasp on his chest. “You'll be able to put the harness on in your sleep.” Erwin placed his hands on the boy's shoulders for a moment before he took a step back, studying Levi closely. He reached out and adjusted a belt or another, tugging here and there, but could fully approve of its fit. The harness was snug in the places it was supposed to be and offered Levi a little room where he would need it. 

“Looks very good. This harness is part of your life insurance, it's essential that it fits impeccably.”

Levi fingered the leather straps in some places, turned on the balls of his feet to be able to look at his backside in the mirror before gazing up at Erwin. “I didn't expect it to be this light. I barely feel it, apart from the constriction.” 

He smiled at that and tilted his head to the side a little. “The 3D-maneuver gear is very light, too, you'll be surprised. It's held in just a few places, It's actually quite eimpressive.” He wasn't wearing his weapon on him, since he wasn't allowed to use it within the city's boundaries anyway, but he could show Levi the few places where the weapon would be attached to the harness. 

Levi nodded and turned again, looking at himself in the mirror for another few seconds, and Erwin couldn't help but feel a little proud. 

“Can we leave now?”, the dark haired boy asked him, pulling his dark blue scarf a little tighter around his neck. Erwin nodded at him, thinking that Levi would have to think of something else to keep his throat warm when he started his training. The scarf would simply be too dangerous. 

Levi pulled his boots back on and Erwin thanked the soldiers who had been helpful to them before they left the place, Levi trailing after him before catching up. 

“Damn I can't wait to get out of this city.”, Levi muttered when they were out in the street again. “I would be glad to never see another stupid unicorn in my life.” 

Erwin felt a genuine laugh erupt from his mouth when he heard the term 'unicorn' and he grinned at Levi. “That's very unlikely, I'm afraid. But we'll only see them occasionally.” He could very well do without the unicorns, too, but it wasn't his place to say so. They protected the king and his family after all – but that thought didn't come without a sour aftertaste. 

Levi grumbled a little and Erwin lead him into a network of narrow streets. “Let's take a shortcut here.” The street would lead them almost directly back to their garrison. 

They had made it halfway down the street when Erwin suddenly heard agitated voices that were not too far away. He stopped and frowned, trying hard to locate where the voices were coming from. 

“I fucking didn't sign up for this! Why do we have to take care of this garbage?” 

“He's right, what the fuck is this?” 

“Because it's been an order. From up high, so shut the fuck up, damnit!” 

Erwin turned and then carefully made his way down a little path bettween two houses that was just broad enough to fit him. “Honestly, can you never just go where you're supposed-” Erwin, who had just reached the end of the little path, slashed at the air and silenced Levi successfully before the men who had been talking to each other noticed them. Erwin stared, not needing very long to put two and two together – and what he saw made his blood boil. 

They were at the bank of the navigable river, at the shabby and abandoned part of the docks. The men had made a pile – a pile of human bodies, had put dry wood in between them to be able to set them on fire easily. The bodies were still, stiff, limp, depending on how long the indivudual person had been dead, their clothes blood-soaked. Erwin had seen piles of human bodies, after one of their missions had failed, after an epidemic that had carried off hunderds of people – the sight didn't shock him. But this was neither, neither the necessary burning of infected people nor that of half manductated, mutilated soldiers.

He could see the yellow scarf. Amongst the dead people were children, and one of them, a little girl with blood streaked, blond hair, had her yellow, torn scarf still around her neck. Her eyes were wide open and stared at the sky, unable to ever see it again. 

Those were the people from last night. The people who had intruded the party last night – and the military police and well taken care of them. Probably shooting them on the spot and hunting those who had fled until they had had them all. On a superiors command. He didn't need to guess twice who had given the order. 

Erwan wanted to be sick. 

He heard Levi inhale sharply next to him when one of them lit a match while another poured some kind of liquid onto their stake, probably a fire accelerant. The military police soldier threw the match into the pile and the bodies burst into flames immediately, making the soldiers take a few steps back. 

Erwin grabbed Levi's wrist and turned around on his heels, stalking the path back to the narrow road where they had entered it. The stench of burning human flesh filled the air immediately and although he was used to it this time it really made him feel nauseous. The fury he was feeling thrummed in his stomach, coiling tight, and his jaw was clenched so hard that his teeth hurt. 

“What the fuck was that? There were children in that pile! And let go of my arm.” 

Erwin obeyed but didn't slow down, he needed to get away from there before he did something really stupid. He couldn't help these people anymore – it crossed his mind that, when he had tried to remember the previous night in the morning, he had remembered a few hazy images of military policemen chasing civillians – it obviously hadn't been a dream. He had witnessed it but had been too drunk to do something about it. And even if he hadn't been, could he have done anything to save them? Probably not much – the thought made his fury burn even more. 

“That,” he spat, “was the fucking military police thinking they can arbitrarily handle things that are not theirs to handle.” They had no right, absolutely none, to just shoot people because they were hungry and desperate. Even though they had intruded in a noble's house, that was no reason. 

“By shooting children? What's that about, I don't understand.”, Levi muttered, having to lenthen his steps to be able to keep up with Erwin's stride. He slowed down a little when he noticed. 

“These people protested at the party I attended yesterday – now they're all dead. Apparently that's the new course of action.” The last words sounded more like an insult than anything else.

“These fuckers.”, Levi hissed, not at all surprised – he had hated the military police anyway. “Can't you report that?” 

Erwin snorted when they walked down their shortcut, almost at the garrison already. “To who? The order came 'from up high', it was probably their commander who gave it himself. After the fit he threw yesterday.”

“They're just all rotten though and though. Fuck them.” Levi said and even though Erwin couldn't entirely agree with him he felt just as furious as Levi seemed to be. His number one favourite right now was putting a bullet right between Jarvis Ashners's eyes – just to let him experience his own procedure. 

It was really time that they got out of this city. 

Unfortunately their plan of just getting their stuff and be out of Hermiha within half an hour didn't seem to be operable – when they returned to the main street and walked the last few meters back to the garrison they both stopped dead in their tracks. 

At the main entrance stood Dallis Zackley, and he was accompanied by no one less than Jarvis Ashner. Apart from about a dozen military policemen standing guard. Nile Dawk was among them. One of them glanced in their direction and then pointed at them, making the other soldiers' heads turn. Erwin heard Levi inahle sharply, could feel the tension building up in the boy, rapidly, and he felt his insides go cold. 

Dallis Zackley started walking over to them, briskly, and Erwin raised a hand to grab Levi's shoulder. 

“Do you trust me?”, he asked the dark haired boy, his voice vibrating with so much more than anger now, vibrating so much that he sounded strong, composed. 

He wouldn't stop him. If Levi wanted to run he would let him, he would understand. He might even have a chance, suble and fast as he was. He had evidentially outrun a shooter before – but Erwin thought his chances better if he remained with him. It was just a feeling, and he didn't know how yet, but he had a feeling that Levi would survive this day. If he had managed to gain the boy's trust. 

The shoulder under his hand was tense, and the soldier were coming nearer, he was running out of time. The civillians around them had stopped, staring, whispering to each other, and Levi seemed to think rapidly, his muscles to tense that Erwin thought he might snap any second – when the body nodded. Curtly, but he did. 

Erwin closed his eyes and squeezed his shoulder before letting go, stepping in front of the boy. 

“Good. Let me save your life today, Levi.” 

The snort behind him was barely perceivable, but it was there – a proof that Levi knew what he was alluding to. 

Erwin raised his hands in the face of a dozen rifles pointed at them, staring at them calmly. He could clearly make out Nile, his face tense and his eyes narrowed, and he could only assume how betrayed the gruff man must have felt. 

“I'm sorry, Erwin, but when I heard about the killings here in Hermiha and what their investigation has brought to light I couldn't keep this to myself.”, Dallis Zackley told him lowly, he was the first one to reach them. Erwin just nodded, not paying his commander too much attention. “I understand, I'm sure you acted with the best of intentions.” His voice was neutral, it was obligatory that he treaded lightly wherever he set his feet from now on.

“Corporal Erwin Smith, we must ask you to accompany us to the headquarters. We have a few questions.”, one of the soldier's said, probably one of their higher generals, while the others started to make a circle around them. They seemed on edge, the rifle of one of the soldier's shook slightly in his hands. Another one approached them cautiously with a pair of shackles. Erwin just shook his head. 

“Those won't be needed. We're not putting up any resistance. Lead the way, we'll accompany you.” 

“With all due respect, corporal, that's ludicrous.” Jarvis Ashner spoke up for the first time and Erwin looked at him levelly, having a hard time hiding the spite that he felt for this pathetic man. “That boy is accused of multiple murder, there's no way he'll be lead into our headquarters without shackles.” At least he wasn't drunkenly sputtering obloquies today. Maybe the slightest bit of common sense had returned to the probably most incapable military police commander that the three walls had ever seen. 

“Very well. Then I'll wear shackles, too.” He stretched out his hands expectantly, arching his eyebrows at the soldier with the shackles. “Come on, don't be shy. I won't bite you.”, he urged the man on and the latter flushed, very cautiously approaching Erwin. “If one of my soldiers is being detained I'll be detained, too. I'm his corporal and therefore responsible for him.” 

“Erwin, that's-” 

“Dallis, let him. If he wants to make a fool out of himself.”, Ashner interrupted the scouting legion's commander, glaring at Erwin, and Erwin returned the look coolly. 

“I gladly will.” 

The military police commander growled and gave his soldier a sign to finally put the shackles onto Erwin's wrist. Then he turned towards Levi, even more hesitantly, and the dark haired boy looked up at Erwin. His stormy eyes were boring into Erwin's own, searching for something, and apparently he found it because when Erwin nodded at him, the boy huffed and held out his arms so the soldier could put shackles around his wrists, too. 

“About time, let's go.” 

They started moving, the commanders lead their little procession. Erwin and Levi walked next to each other, surrounded by the other military policemen, and Erwin was sure that he could feel Nile's piercing stare on his back. 

Levi looked up at him and Erwin met his gaze, smiling at the dark haired boy encouragingly. Levi just narrowed his eyes. 

“If you get me killed here without me seeing a single titan, I swear to.... whatever is out there, I'll return to hunt you forever.” 

Erwin actually had the audacity to laugh at that. He felt his common sense taking over, his rationality that had kept him sane and probably alive during these past years flooding through him and calming him. In his head he was already toying with words, calculating strategies, pondering what to say and what to conceal. 

“It would be a real shame if you didn't make it to the titans.” 

The boy snorted and then looked straight ahead. “You better make it happen.” 

The corners of his mouth curled into a little smile, the trust this boy put in him was endearing – he would try his best not to disappoint him.

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMFG  
> Nobody will understand just how happy I am that this chapter is finally done... TAT  
> I had a very long phase of writer's block... the chapter was almost done (well, in the end I had to add another 8 pages or so, but STILL the majority had already been written months ago. 8DDDD) I was just... busily doing everything but write. I changed my main profession, took up a third job and my free time is reduced to an absolute minimum now. But I might move to America next year so... I need money. XD And the rest of my free time was dedicated to horseback riding and my darling girlfriend, of course.  
> I let you guys wait for almost a year, and for that I'm really, really sorry. I love you for sticking with me, though, and your comments and 'I believe in Cigamina' badges were really giving me the necessary strenght and inspiration to continue. <3<3<3 THANK YOU!  
> I won't make any prognosis for the next chapter but it's going to be a really interesting one – so I hope I'll get it out soon. Can't wait to write it actually. >3  
> Poor Levi for fighting with his harness... but I had to insert that because I know his pain. I've cosplayed SnK and I made that harness, along with everything else – and it's a real pain. XDDD  
> Also... I finally got over my aversion towards the name Erwin and changed the name from Irvin to Erwin in the entire document. |D Let our favourite commander of the scouting legion finally have his true name...! XD  
> So, I'll leave you guys for another while, but be sure that I won't give up on this story. <3


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